//  .  r.  2-  / 
LIBRARY  OF   THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


BX  925  .M3  1921 
MacEachen,  Roderick 

Aloysius . 
The  teaching  of  religion 


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THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 


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THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NBW  YORK    •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO  •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN    FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •    BOMBAY   •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


THE  TEACHING  OF 
RELIGION 


n  1921 

BY  •• 


RODERICK  MacEACHEN,  D.D. 

THE   CATHOLIC   UNIVERSITY   OF   AMERICA 

WITH  A  PREFACE 

BY 

James  Cardinaij  Gibbons 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
1921 

All  rights  reserved 


mibil  ©bstat 


ARTHUR   j.  SCANLAN,   S.T.D., 

Censor  Lihrorni 


Umprimatur 


►i<  PATRICK   J.   HAYES,   D.D., 

A  rchbishop  of  .Vew  York\ 


October  ig,  1920. 


Copyright,  1921, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  January,  1921. 


3.  8.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

BY 

His  Eminence,  James  Cardinal  Gibbons 
Archbishop  of  Baltimore 

When  we  look  about  us  to-day  we  are  appalled 
at  the  evils  that  have  crept  into  human  society. 
The  world  is  just  passing  through  a  crisis  brought 
on  by  materialistic  thought.  These  post-bellum 
times  are  called  the  reconstruction  period.  The 
great  moral  forces  of  the  day  are  seeking  a  remedy 
for  the  ills  of  society. 

Thoughtful  men  are  beginning  to  realize  that 
religion  is  the  only  cure  for  those  ills.  Now  more 
than  ever,  perhaps,  they  are  convinced  that  human 
society  must  be  guided  by  a  higher  principle  than 
mere  human  statutes.  This  principle  must  be 
divine  law  expressed  in  terms  of  religion  that 
operates  in  men's  lives. 

Unfortunately  many  have  come  to  look  upon 
religion  as  a  mere  creed,  a  system  of  forms,  a  cold 
intellectual  code.  This  faulty  conception  is  due, 
at  least  in  part,  to  our  emphasis  of   theological 


vi  PREFACE 

conclusions,  our  zeal  to  propagate  the  dogmas 
of  Faith,  thus  making  it  appear  that  the  intel- 
lectual is  the  all-important  phase  of  religion. 

The  Apostle  St.  James  (Ep.  1,  27)  says  :  "Reh- 
gion  clean  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the  Father 
is  this :  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  the  widows  in 
their  tribulation  :  and  to  keep  one's  self  unspotted 
from  this  world."  In  this  the  Apostle  wishes  to 
say  simply  that  charity  is  the  soul  of  religion. 
In  the  same  manner  our  divine  Saviour  Himself 
reduces  religion  to  the  single  principle  of  love : 
"Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  thy 
whole  heart,  and  with  thy  whole  soul,  and  with 
thy  whole  mind  .  .  .  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself.  On  these  two  commandments  depend- 
eth  the  whole  law  and  the  prophets."  (St.  Matt. 
22,  37-40.) 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  author  of  this  vol- 
ume says  :  "Love  is  the  essence  of  religion."  This 
is  his  fundamental  thesis.  The  dogmas  of  Faith, 
the  truths,  the  practices,  the  Church,  the  Com- 
mandments, the  Sacraments,  all  are  but  means  of 
engendering  love  for  God  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

"God  placed  man  upon  the  earth  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  learning  to  love  Him,"  says  the  author ; 
"the  love  of  God  is  man's  mission  upon  earth. 
But  to  love  God  we  must  know  Him;   the  more 


PREFACE  vii 

we  understand  God's  love  and  bounty  toward  us 
the  more  we  are  impelled  to  love  Him." 

When  we  love  God  we  are  prompted  to  serve 
Him ;  for  love  moves  us  almost  violently  to  do 
services  for  those  whom  we  love.  In  revealed 
religion  God  has  furnished  us  the  means  of  serving 
Him  and  thus  manifesting  our  love  for  Him. 
When  we  believe  in  Him  we  are  serving  Him. 
In  the  same  manner  we  manifest  our  love  for  Him 
when  we  worship  Him  and  keep  His  Command- 
ments. But  since  God  is  our  common  Father  we 
are  all  children  united  in  one  brotherhood.  Hence 
we  can  show  our  love  for  God  by  our  love  and  kind- 
ness for  our  fellow  men.  God  permits  some  of 
His  children  to  be  poor,  afflicted,  distressed  so 
that  we  can  show  our  love  for  Him  by  caring  for 
them. 

This  is  the  true  concept  of  religion  when  viewed 
in  its  relation  to  men's  lives.  It  is  the  newness 
of  life  of  which  St.  Paul  speaks.  It  elevates  man 
above  his  own  natural  sphere  and  enables  him  to 
live  according  to  the  mind  and  heart  of  God.  In 
the  principles  which  the  author  here  expounds  for 
the  teaching  of  religion  these  ideals  are  clearly  set 
forth.  He  shows  always  the  relation  of  religion 
to  human  life.  He  outlines  the  rules  and  prin- 
ciples by  which  zealous  teachers  may  effectually 


viii  PREFACE 

engender  religion  in  the  lives  of  God's  little 
ones. 

This  work  is  undoubtedly  destined  to  open  up 
a  new  field  of  thought  for  religious  teachers.  In- 
deed it  almost  seems  providential  coming  as  it 
does  in  this  critical  epoch  of  the  world's  history. 
At  a  time  when  materialistic  science  has  arrogated 
to  itself  the  created  world  around  us,  this  work  so 
interweaves  nature  study  with  religious  teaching 
as  to  make  nature  the  open  book  that  tells  the 
secrets  of  God's  love  and  bounty.  In  this  it  leads 
us  back  to  the  great  works  on  nature  such  as  the 
Hexameron,  written  by  St.  Ambrose  in  the  fifth 
century.  But  it  also  takes  us  back  to  the  Canticles 
of  Azarias  and  his  companions  in  the  fiery  furnace 
(Daniel  3,  52  ss.)  :  **  All  ye  works  of  the  Lord,  bless 
the  Lord :  praise  and  exalt  Him  above  all  forever. 
...  O  ye  heavens  ...  O  all  ye  waters  .  .  .  O 
ye  sun  and  moon  ...  O  ye  stars  of  heaven  .  .  . 
O  every  shower  and  dew  bless  the  Lord :  praise 
and  exalt  Him  above  all  forever." 

It  was  this  kind  of  religion  that  made  St.  Francis 
a  lover  of  nature.  In  the  flowers  and  trees  he  saw 
the  bounty  and  the  glory  of  God  depicted.  He 
spoke  to  the  little  birds  as  his  little  brothers.  All 
creatures  were  his  fellow  creatures  of  God. 

But,  besides  nature  study,  the  author's  method 


PREFACE  ix 

also  embraces  the  study  of  Church  history,  the 
study  of  the  Bible,  and  of  Sacred  Liturgy.  He 
thus  presents  the  truths  of  Faith  in  their  true  life 
setting ;  he  makes  them  enflame  the  hearts  of  the 
little  ones  with  love  for  God  and  their  fellow  man. 
By  this  new  method  of  teaching  religion  God 
becomes  God  with  us,  our  Emmanuel.  The  true 
beauty  of  religion  is  thus  developed  in  the  lives 
of  the  children ;  they  learn  to  live  in  union  with 
God,  united  with  Him  by  the  bonds  of  pure  love. 
May  He,  in  His  divine  wisdom,  bless  this  work 
abundantly  and  make  it  fruitful  of  much  good 
unto  many. 

J.  Card.  Gibbons 

Given  at  Baltimore, 
The  Feast  of  St.  Euzabeth,  1920 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTEB  PAOM 

I.  Religious  Training 1 

II.  The  Content  of  Religious  Teaching.        .        .  10 

III.  The  Child  and  Religion 18 

IV.  Religious  Development  of  the  Child         .        .  28 
V.  By-methods  and  Materials 39 

VI,  Story-telling  and  Literature      ....  48 

Vn.  Behavior  and  Religion 58 

Vin.  Character  Building 70 

IX-  The  Rule  of  Positives 79 

X.  Class  Procedure  in  Religion      ....  91 

XI.  Class  Management 102 

Xn.  Coordination 114 

XIII.  The  Presentation  of  the  Matter       .        .        .  127 

XIV.  God 140 

XV.  Divine  Revelation 150 

XVI.  The  Commandments  :    First  to  Third  .        .        .161 

XVn.  The  Commandments:    Fourth  to  Tenth      .        .  173 

XVm.  Sin 187 

XIX.  The  Incarnation 197 

XX.  The  Catholic  Church;   Divine  Grace        .        .  208 

XXI.  The  Sacraments  —  Part  I 219 

XXn.  The  Sacraments  —  Part  II 232 


XI 


THE 
TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

CHAPTER  I 

Religious  Training 

Religion  is  the  bond  of  union  between  God 
and  man;  it  is  the  union  of  love.  Rehgious 
teaching  embraces  the  threefold  sphere  of  knowl- 
edge, feeling,  and  conduct ;  it  is  intended  to 
enable  men  to  know,  love,  and  serve  God.  Re- 
ligious training,  therefore,  imparts  a  newness  of 
life  (Rom.  6,  4).  The  knowledge  of  God  creates 
a  new  mode  of  thought  in  the  human  mind ;  the 
love  of  God  elevates  man  to  a  new  plane  of  feel- 
ing ;  the  service  of  God  changes  the  character 
of  man's  conduct,  transfers  it  from  the  mere 
natural  to  the  supernatural. 

Religion  gives  man  his  proper  adjustment  to 
life ;  it  makes  clear  the  meaning  of  his  own  life, 
his  own  intrinsic  value ;  it  teaches  him  his  proper 
attitude  to  his  fellow  man ;  it  manifests  to  him 
his   true   relation   to    God.      Religion   is    not   a 

1 


2  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

separate  branch  of  human  knowledge ;  it  is  not 
a  science  apart;  it  permeates  all  branches  of 
knowledge  and  all  phases  of  human  life.  Re- 
ligious training  imparts  a  noble  character;  it 
lifts  man  up  to  association  with  God,  and  it 
makes  him  a  child  of  God  and  a  brother  to  all 
mankind.  It  gives  him  high  aspirations  and 
noble  standards  of  life ;  it  elevates  man  from  the 
natural  to  the  supernatural  order  by  grace  and 
by  the  quest  of  his  eternal  destiny. 

Religion  revekls  to  man  the  true  worth  and 
beauty  of  the  material  world ;  it  puts  true  mean- 
ing in  the  beauties  and  glories  of  nature.  To 
the  man  truly  trained  in  religion  every  atom  of 
the  universe  reflects  God's  love  and  bounty. 
Religion  unfolds  to  us  the  true  meaning  of  life; 
it  destroys  pessimism  and  despair.  Life,  in  the 
light  of  religion,  becomes  not  a  mere  struggle 
for  the  unattainable,  but  a  sturdy  manifesta- 
tion of  courage  and  fortitude  in  preparation  for 
eternal  life.  Death  loses  its  unreason  when  it 
is  viewed  as  a  "going  home"  to  our  heavenly 
Father.  Thus  religion  is  necessary  for  man's 
well-being,  physical  and  spiritual.  Without  it 
he  cannot  adjust  himself  to  the  ills  and  vicissi- 
tudes of  life;  without  it  there  is  no  consolation 
in  the  face  of  death ;   without  it  the  mind  of  man 


RELIGIOUS  TRAINING  S 

cannot  be  resigned  to  the  ravages  of  age  that 
follow  in  the  wake  of  youth. 

Religion  alone  can  explain  the  problem  of  evil. 
Misery,  sorrow,  and  pain  can  have  full  retribution 
in  the  future  life  alone.  Full  retribution  must 
come  with  the  attainment  of  our  destiny.  Ours 
is  a  supernatural  destiny.  Man's  perfection  is 
happiness;  this  happiness  he  will  not  find  except 
in  an  eternal  union  with  God.  Religion  guides 
man  in  the  attainment  of  his  last  end  and  des- 
tiny; it  enables  him  to  live  the  life  that  leads 
to  his  eternal  destiny.  In  the  natural  order, 
that  life  is  perfect  which  is  fashioned  after  the 
dictates  of  mere  human  reason.  But  the  life  of 
man,  in  view  of  his  supernatural  destiny,  is  per- 
fect only  when  it  follows  the  rule  of  reason  guided 
by  divine  truth.  Hence  it  is  that  religious  train- 
ing is  the  coordination  of  divine  truth  with  human 
life. 

If,  then,  rational  life  is  composed  of  knowledge, 
feeling,  and  conduct,  divine  truth  must  enter  into 
every  phase  of  these  three  spheres.  Religion 
added  to  these  three  spheres  of  human  life  ele- 
vates them  to  a  new  plane.  The  natural  man 
sees  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  in  the  heavens. 
To  him  they  are  wondrous  natural  phenomena. 
But  the  supernatural  man  sees  reflected  in  the 


4  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

heavenly  bodies  the  love,  power,  and  glory  of  an 
all-loving  God.  The  mere  natural  man  can  have 
pity  on  his  fellow  man.  But  he  lacks  the  motive 
of  love.  The  supernatural  man  loves  his  fellow 
man  because  both  are  children  of  a  common  Father 
in  heaven. 

It  is  a  grave  mistake  to  suppose  that  religious 
teaching  consists  in  the  communication  of  forms 
and  precepts.  It  is  a  training  unto  life.  Like  all 
true  education,  religious  education  must  follow 
the  natural  development  of  the  child.  The  divine 
truths  of  faith  are  defined  indeed.  But  even 
the  laws  of  natural  life  and  of  nature  itself  are 
clearly  determined.  We  must  breathe  to  live. 
This  is  a  fixed  law  of  life ;  yet  the  child  breathes 
long  before  it  learns  to  formulate  this  dogma  of 
life.  All  heavy  bodies  tend  toward  the  center  of 
the  earth ;  yet  the  little  girl  knows  that  she  must 
keep  her  doll  from  falling  long  before  she  can  define 
the  dogma  of  gravitation.  It  is  thus  with  the 
knowledge  of  God.  The  little  child  should  know 
God  as  our  Father  long  before  he  can  grasp  the 
meaning  of  the  Creator.  The  child  knows  that 
God  gives  all  little  children  to  their  father  and 
mother.  God  made  the  flowers,  the  plants,  the 
trees.  God  made  the  earth  to  be  a  dwelling 
place  for  His  children ;   He  made  the  sun  to  give 


RELIGIOUS  TRAINING  5 

us  light  and  heat ;  He  made  the  moon,  the  stars. 
All  this  the  child  knows  before  he  understands  the 
term  "omnipotent." 

In  its  natural  life  the  child  feels  love  and  affec- 
tion long  before  the  idea  or  the  term  that  expresses 
the  idea  occurs  to  it.  In  like  manner  the  love  of 
God,  like  the  love  of  loving  parents,  must  grow 
in  the  heart  of  the  child.  It  is  that  constant  and 
ceaseless  series  of  tender  actions  that  implants 
deep  in  the  soul  of  the  child  that  indelible  sense 
of  home  love.  Thus,  too,  everything  about  the 
child  must  speak  to  it  of  God's  love.  God  gave  us 
a  father  and  mother  to  care  for  us  because  He 
loves  us.  God  made  the  pretty  flowers  to  make  us 
happy  because  He  loves  us.  God  taught  the 
little  birds  to  sing  because  He  loves  us.  It  is 
the  progression  of  the  child  in  love ;  each  step  of 
the  way  through  life  he  is  confronted  with  mani- 
festations of  God's  love. 

Likewise  conduct  must  be  a  gradual  growth 
based  upon  motives  that  arise  from  knowledge 
and  experience.  The  little  child  learns  that  it  is 
a  physical  evil  to  put  its  little  hand  upon  a  hot 
stove.  Experience  has  told  it  that  such  action 
will  cause  pain.  It  learns  to  follow  the  advice 
of  its  parents  because  it  has  learned  to  love  them. 
It  learns  to  care  for  its  own  body  and  mind  because 


6  THE  TEACHING   OF  RELIGION 

it  learns  that  it  is  good  to  do  so.  This  will  give 
it  joy  and  strength.  Thus,  too,  it  must  learn  the 
art  of  true  Christian  conduct  and  morality.  Mo- 
tives of  good  must  be  engendered  in  its  heart  by 
the  light  and  warmth  of  divine  truth.  It  must 
so  learn  to  love  God  that  it  will  endeavor  to  adjust 
its  life  to  His  will.  It  must  learn  hy  doing.  To 
enable  it  to  live  the  life  of  an  upright  man  it  must 
live  the  life  of  an  upright  child.  Its  own  will 
must  act;  it  cannot  develop  will  and  character 
by  the  exercise  of  another's  will. 

All  religion  can  be  reduced  to  God's  love ;  love 
is  the  essence  of  religion.  It  may  be  called  mutual 
love  between  God  and  man.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  religion  is  strong  enough  to  overcome  the 
world ;  for  love  is  stronger  than  all  the  other 
forces  in  life.  God  created  us  so  that  He  might 
love  us.  He  made  us  rational  creatures  so  that 
we  might  love  Him  and  love  one  another;  for 
the  rational  creature  alone  is  capable  of  loving. 
God  made  this  wondrous  universe  out  of  pure 
love  for  us.  The  earth  is  our  dwelling  filled  with 
beauty  and  bounty.  The  heavens  are  bedecked 
with  millions  of  stars  and  planets  to  reveal  to  us 
the  lovable  attributes  of  God. 

God  revealed  Himself  to  us  because  He  loves 
us.     He  is  a  loving  Father  telling  His  own  per- 


RELIGIOUS  TRAINING  7 

sonal  secrets  to  His  children.  He  gave  us  the 
Church  out  of  love  for  us;  for  it  is  the  Church 
that  teaches  His  revealed  truth  to  us.  God  sent 
the  angels  to  watch  over  us  because  He  loves  us. 
He  is  the  loving  Father  solicitous  for  His  children 
on  the  dangerous  way  of  life.  He  sends  His  glo- 
rious angels  to  accompany  us.  "Behold,  I  will 
send  my  angels,  who  shall  go  before  thee,  and  keep 
thee  in  thy  journey"  (Exodus  22,  20).  God  has 
prepared  an  eternal  home  for  us ;  there  we  shall 
dwell  with  Him  in  endless  bliss.  He  wants  us  all 
to  be  with  Him  forever  because  He  loves  us.  Our 
destiny  is  an  eternal  union  of  love  with  God. 
And  even  the  revealed  truth  of  hell  manifests 
God's  love  for  us.  He  is  a  tender  Father  warning 
His  children  against  danger,  eternal  danger.  He 
trembles  with  love  lest  His  children  turn  away 
from  Him  in  sin. 

To  mark  out  the  way  home  more  clearly  our 
heavenly  Father  gives  us  the  Commandments ; 
they  are  the  signposts  along  the  way  to  eternity ; 
and  the  way  is  the  road  of  love.  Two  things 
only  are  necessary ;  the  Ten  Commandments 
comprise  but  two  commandments  of  love.  Our 
divine  Saviour  Himself  gave  us  this  interpretation  : 
"Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole 
heart,  and  with  thy  whole  soul,  and  with  thy  whole 


8  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

mind.  Thou  shall  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself. 
On  these  two  commandments  dependeth  the 
whole  law  and  the  prophets"  (St.  Matt.  22, 
37-39). 

But  man  had  turned  away  from  God  to  love 
creatures ;  he  had  sinned.  Then  God  the  Son 
in  His  love  came  down  from  heaven,  became 
man  to  lead  us  back  to  love.  It  was  love  alone 
that  prompted  the  Redemption.  And  to  show 
how  intimate  is  His  love  for  the  human  race, 
God  chose  an  earthly  mother  from  our  midst. 
By  His  divine  grace  He  elevated  her  above  the 
angels  of  heaven.  Furthermore,  He  made  her  our 
mother  that  we  might  have  even  the  influence  of 
mother  love  to  lead  us  to  our  heavenly  home. 

Not  satisfied  with  all  this  God  gave  us  a  new  life 
of  a  higher  order.  He  gave  us  the  life  of  divine 
grace  by  which  we  become  "partakers  of  the  divine 
nature"  (2  Ep.  of  St.  Peter  1,  4).  Thus  we  might 
perform  works  meritorious  in  eternity.  To  con- 
vey, preserve,  and  nourish  this  supernatural 
life  within  us,  God  gave  us  seven  Sacraments. 
Baptism  is  the  regeneration  in  this  supernatural 
life  of  grace.  Confirmation  is  the  strengthening 
of  its  powers.  The  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  divine 
food  for  this  life.  Penance  furnishes  the  remedies 
for  its  ills.     Holy  Orders  is  the  ministry  that  pre- 


RELIGIOUS  TRAINING  9 

serves  it  in  the  faithful.  Matrimony  is  the  institu- 
tion that  furnishes  the  home  in  which  to  nourish 
it.  Extreme  Unction  gives  the  strength  and  the 
courage  necessary  for  the  journey  to  our  eternal 
home.  Thus  divine  grace  and  the  Sacraments 
are,  godlike  gifts  of  divine  love. 

Wherefore  religion  might  even  be  called  a 
coordination  of  supernatural  life  with  human  life. 
Divine  truth  gives  divine  wisdom  to  the  human 
intellect.  The  ordering  of  our  life  according  to 
the  will  of  God  makes  our  actions  supernatural. 

Religion  alone  puts  meaning  into  human  life. 
Why  all  this  struggle  for  happiness  if  it  be  found 
only  to  fade  away  ^  Where .  is  the  optimism  of 
life  with  death  everywhere  in  the  background  .^^ 
Why  all  this  labor  for  education  if  it  must  be  so 
soon  buried  in  the  grave  of  corruption  ?  Religion 
alone  can  answer  these  questions.  It  alone  can 
put  abiding  hope  in  the  heart  of  man.  It  alone 
can  unfold  the  true  dignity  of  man.  Religion 
is  the  soul,  the  life  of  education ;  it  alone  can  give 
men  motives  stronger  than  their  mere  natural 
desires ;  it  alone  can  make  men  truly  just,  noble, 
and  true. 


CHAPTER  II 

The  Content  of  Religious  Teaching 

Religion  was  divinely  given  to  man  in  his 
present  fallen  state ;  it  is  intended  to  fit  unto  his 
nature ;  it  must  produce  newness  of  life  in  him. 
Furthermore,  it  was  designed  by  God  Himself 
for  all  men,  learned  and  unlearned,  great  and  sim- 
ple alike.  Wherefore,  its  teachings  must,  at  the 
same  time,  satisfy  the  demands  both  of  the  high 
and  of  the  humble ;  they  must  respond  even  to 
the  requirements  of  little  minds  just  budding  into 
reason. 

There  is  a  real  distinction  between  the  teachings 
of  faith  applied  to  life  and  the  teachings  of  faith 
as  expressed  in  terms  of  theology.  This  distinc- 
tion is  similar  to  the  difference  between  an  every- 
day knowledge  of  life  and  the  science  of  biology. 
As  a  matter  of  common  experience  there  is  nothing 
on  earth  simpler  than  life ;  but  as  a  scientific 
study  it  is  the  most  profound  of  human  sciences. 
Thus  it  is  with  religion.  From  the  standpoint  of 
our  lives,  it  is  simple  enough  for  the  tenderest  of 
little  minds ;  but  in  its  scientific  form  of  theological 

10 


THE   CONTENT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     11 

conclusions  it  is  comprehensible  to  the  erudite 
alone.  Thus  the  truths  of  faith  may  be  viewed 
from  a  speculative  or  from  a  practical  standpoint. 

But  truth  that  is  to  affect  our  lives  must  be 
studied  in  its  practical  form ;  it  must  be  studied 
from  the  standpoint  of  life.  It  is  thus  only  that 
the  divine  truth  of  religion  can  operate  in  men's 
souls  unto  a  newness  of  life.  In  view  of  this,  reli- 
gious teaching  may  be  divided  into  five  phases, 
all  of  which  make  one  body  of  teaching.  They 
are:  (1)  the  truths  of  faith  in  themselves;  (2) 
the  truths  of  faith  as  expressed  in  the  material 
world ;  (3)  the  truths  of  faith  as  written  in  the 
Bible ;  (4)  the  truths  of  faith  as  expressed  in 
human  life  through  Church  history ;  (5)  the  truths 
of  faith  as  symbolized  and  transmitted  in  sacred 
Liturgy. 

Nature  is  the  open  book  of  God  wherein  all  may 
read  the  power  and  the  bounty  and  the  love  of 
God.  Hence  nature  study  is  an  integral  part  of 
religious  teaching:  *'The  heavens  show  forth 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  declare th 
the  work  of  His  hands"  (Psalms  18,  2).  All 
nature  must  speak  to  us  of  God.  The  earth,  the 
sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  the  planets,  all  show 
forth  God's  power  and  bounty.  The  plants,  the 
trees  bring  forth  fruits  in  season.     The  animals. 


12  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

the  fishes  of  the  sea  are  all  manifestations  of  God's 
love  and  care  for  us. 

"But  ask  now  the  beasts,  and  they  shall  teach 
thee ;  and  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  they  shall  tell 
thee. 

"Speak  to  the  earth,  and  it  shall  answer  thee; 
and  the  fishes  of  the  sea  shall  tell. 

"Who  is  ignorant  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  hath 
made  all  these  things  ? 

"In  whose  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living  thing, 
and  the  spirit  of  all  flesh  of  man"  (Job  12,  7-10). 

Modern  science  is  largely  concerned  with  natural 
phenomena.  So  wondrous  are  the  works  of  nature 
that  men  have  often  deified  them  ;  they  have  mis- 
taken the  gift  for  the  giver ;  they  have  ignored 
God  in  His  own  work.  "But  all  men  are  vain, 
in  whom  there  is  not  the  knowledge  of  God ;  and 
who  by  these  good  things  that  are  seen  could 
not  understand  Him  that  is  (God),  neither  by 
attending  to  the  works  have  not  acknowledged 
who  was  the  workman"  (Wisdom  13,  1). 

Just  as  the  children  learn  in  infancy  to  under- 
stand the  position  of  father  and  mother  in  the 
home  so  must  they  learn  to  recognize  God  in  the 
universe.  Every  flower,  every  blade  of  grass  must 
speak  to  them  of  God's  love.  The  idea  of  God 
must  be  associated  with  all  things  in  the  world; 


THE  CONTENT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     13 

all  study  of  natural  phenomena  must  be  coordi- 
nated with  the  teaching  of  religion.  Even  if  the 
children  eventually  study  biology,  geology,  astron- 
omy, and  other  profound  sciences  they  must  find 
God  in  all  their  investigations.  We  see  the  painter 
in  his  painting ;  we  see  the  author  in  his  book ; 
even  so  we  must  see  God  in  His  work  of  creation. 
It  is  not  enough,  however,  to  teach  the  children 
that  God  is  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth. 
They  must  know  that  God  made  every  individual 
thing  around  them.  Step  by  step  they  must  learn 
the  love  and  bounty  of  God.  Every  new  idea 
that  they  acquire  concerning  the  universe  must 
be  associated  with  the  idea  of  God.  Thus  as  they 
become  acquainted  gradually  with  the  world 
around  them  they  progress,  by  the  same  token, 
in  the  knowledge  of  God. 

Bible  study  is  an  integral  part  of  religious  teach- 
ing. Here  we  have  the  written  expression  of  divine 
truth.  The  Bible  is  the  book  written  by  God ; 
it  was  He  who  dictated  every  word  to  those  holy 
men  who  wrote  it.  He  wished  to  leave  us  a  written 
testimony  of  His  divine  truth.  Here  the  same 
truth  that  nature  proclaims  is  written  for  us ;  it 
is  the  word  of  God  Himself.  The  children  must 
early  learn  to  know  this  source  of  truth.  When 
they  have  learned  that  God  created  us,  it  is  good 


14  THE  TEACHING   OF  RELIGION 

to  know  that  they  can  read  God's  own  account 
of  man's  creation  in  the  book  of  Genesis.  There, 
too,  they  can  read  God's  own  testimony  that  He 
created  the  world  and  all  that  it  contains.  From 
the  knowledge  of  these  things  their  interests 
naturally  extend  to  the  Book  in  which  they  are 
described  by  God  Himself.  It  is  thus  we  inter- 
weave Bible  study  with  religious  teaching.  It  is 
not  a  systematic  study  of  the  Bible  that  we  give 
in  the  early  courses ;  it  is  a  natural  acquaintance 
that  we  enable  them  to  make  with  the  different 
books  of  the  Bible  and  their  contents ;  it  is  the 
practical  knowledge  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  related 
to  their  knowledge. 

Church  history  reveals  the  truths  of  religion 
in  the  lives  of  men  and  nations.  Man  is  naturally 
interested  in  the  lives  of  other  men.  In  the  lives 
of  historical  characters  are  manifested  the  power 
and  the  glory  of  Christian  teaching.  The  Apostles 
go  forth  upon  their  divine  mission  to  preach  the 
Gospel ;  their  courage  and  fortitude  are  an  in- 
spiration to  us.  They  lived  and  labored  and  died 
for  the  same  holy  faith  that  we  love.  The  saints 
and  martyrs  gladly  gave  their  lives  for  our  own 
holy  faith.  These  and  all  the  great  personages 
of  history  teach  us  by  their  lives  and  example  the 
true  meaning  of  our  holy  religion. 


THE  CONTENT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING    16 

But  it  is  not  the  direct  religious  teaching  alone 
that  the  children  get  from  Church  history ;  they 
learn  to  know  the  Church.  They  learn  to  know 
its  great  work  among  the  nations  of  the  world 
throughout  nineteen  centuries.  The  historical 
argument  is  practically  the  only  one  that  is  accepted 
by  those  outside  the  Church  to-day.  The  philo- 
sophical, the  theological,  and  the  scriptural  argu- 
ments have  been  largely  rejected  by  our  separated 
brethren.  Hence  it  behooves  us  to  acquaint 
the  coming  generation  with  the  truths  of  Church 
history ;  chiefly  herein  lies  our  hope  to  enable  them 
to  defend  the  faith. 

Sacred  Liturgy  is  the  dramatization,  as  it  were, 
of  divine  truth.  The  Church  possesses  a  beautiful 
ceremonial  and  ritual.  The  ceremonial  of  the 
Church  is  the  expression  of  Christian  worship 
that  has  come  down  to  us  through  the  centuries ; 
it  is  rich  with  symbolism  and  meaning.  This 
must  be  made  manifest  to  our  children  if  they 
are  to  love  divine  worship.  They  must  become 
familiar  with  the  deep  religious  meaning  that 
underlies  our  signs  and  ceremonies.  Just  as  the 
drama  is  an  effective  means  of  expressing  human 
sentiments,  so  sacred  Liturgy  expresses  the  senti- 
ments of  Christian  worship.  Just  as  our  homes 
are  arranged  and  adorned  to  express  our  natural 


16  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

tastes  and  preferences,  so  the  church  edifice  ex- 
presses our  reHgious  Hfe ;  its  form  and  structure 
have  their  Hturgical  meaning.  The  altar,  the  altar 
steps,  the  altar  cloths,  the  candles,  the  vestments, 
the  sacred  vessels,  all  bear  a  mystic  meaning  to  us. 

The  Sacraments  are  administered  with  prayers 
and  ceremonies  that  are  filled  with  religious  senti- 
ment. The  sacred  oils,  holy  chrism,  holy  water, 
crosses,  relics,  all  have  a  tender  lesson  for  us 
couched  in  the  blessing  they  bring.  The  ritual 
is  replete  with  blessings  in  the  forms  of  which  are 
expressed  beautiful  sentiments.  There  are  bless- 
ings for  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  for  eatables,  for 
animals,  for  fields,  for  machines,  for  wells,  for 
houses,  for  railroads,  for  telegraph,  for  electric 
plants.  All  these  are  intended  to  promote  the 
spiritual  well-being  of  our  people  and  bring  God's 
blessing  upon  their  concerns.  When  our  children 
know  all  this  they  will  understand  better  how 
eager  God  is  to  give  us  His  blessing ;  they  will 
understand  better  the  meaning  of  religion  in  their 
lives.  Liturgy  must  be  taught  in  its  proper  rela- 
tion to  the  lives  of  the  children ;  it  must  be  given 
its  due  position  in  the  teaching  of  religion. 

All  these  branches  of  study  add  interest  to  the 
teaching  of  religion  ;  they  add  a  richness  of  detail ; 
they  enliven  the  doctrines  of  faith,  making  them 


THE  CONTENT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     17 

warm,  vivid,  and  interesting.  In  the  elementary 
courses  the  mere  rudiments  of  Bible  study,  Church 
history,  and  religion  can  be  given.  Then,  too, 
nature  study  cannot  be  more  than  a  practical 
knowledge  of  natural  phenomena.  These  branches 
of  study,  however,  should  advance  apace  with 
the  progress  of  religious  teaching. 

This  is  a  different  concept  of  religious  teaching 
from  that  generally  accepted  to-day.  It  departs 
from  the  intellectualism  that  has  prevailed.  For 
the  past  three  centuries  and  a  half  our  catechisms 
have  dealt  almost  exclusively  with  the  intellectual 
side  of  religion ;  they  have  been,  for  the  most 
part,  mere  digests  of  theology.  The  truths  of 
faith  are  there  set  down  with  great  precision ; 
but  they  are  given  apart  from  life  in  set  forms  and 
expressions.  The  children  have  been  allowed 
to  learn  the  practical  life-giving  truth  from  the 
lives  and  example  of  others.  Of  course,  they  have 
been  zealously  taught  in  both  church  and  school 
by  exhortation  to  practice  their  religion.  But 
religion  taught  from  the  standpoint  of  the  child's 
life  should  engender  the  motives  for  faith  and 
piety  within  him.  Taught  from  this  angle  these 
truths  should  form  the  motivation  of  his  whole 
life.  In  this  way  the  child  should  learn  not  only 
to  know  but  to  do  the  truth. 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Child  and  Religion 

God  puts  religion  in  the  heart  of  the  child  at 
creation.  This  is  called  natural  religion  because 
it  is  implanted  in  the  very  nature  of  man.  Then, 
at  Baptism  the  virtues  are  infused  into  the  soul  of 
the  child.  This  child,  endowed  by  nature  with 
religion  and  adorned  in  Baptism  with  infused 
virtues,  is  the  subject  of  our  religious  training. 
It  is  indeed  a  germinal  form  of  religion  that  is 
implanted  in  him ;  and  they  are  germinal  virtues 
that  are  given  him  at  his  Baptism.  Yet  this 
natural  religion  forms  the  basis  of  his  religious 
life ;  it  need  but  be  developed  to  enable  him  to 
live  a  true  Christian  life,  and  the  infused  virtues, 
when  properly  cultivated,  will  fit  him  for  a  virtuous 
life  upon  earth.  By  these  endowments  the  child 
is  prepared  for  our  teaching.  God  Himself  by 
a  creative  act  and  by  His  holy  Sacrament  of  Bap- 
tism has  planted  the  seed  of  religion  and  virtue 
in  the  heart  of  the  child.  Thus  we  find  a  subject 
prepared  by  nature  and  endowment  for  our  reli- 

18 


THE   CHILD  AND  RELIGION  19 

gious  teaching.  The  child  is  disposed  in  an  espe- 
cial manner  to  receive  the  truths  of  faith  and  apply 
them  to  his  life. 

Man,  it  is  true,  fell  from  his  high  estate  of  orig- 
inal justice  by  the  sin  of  Adam.  But  human 
nature  was  not  intrinsically  corrupted  by  the  fall. 
Original  sin  darkens  the  understanding  and  weak- 
ens the  will  of  all  men  born  into  the  world.  Be- 
cause of  this  men  are  prone  to  evil.  Thus  it  is 
only  with  the  development  of  rational  life  in  the 
child  that  evil  may  appear;  for  it  is  the  rational 
faculties  that  were  weakened  by  sin.  The  Sacra- 
ment of  Baptism  removes  the  taint  of  original 
sin  from  the  soul  of  the  child.  The  Church  teaches 
that  the  child  is  thereby  restored  to  innocence  and 
justice  and  that  if  the  child  die  before  he  reach  the 
use  of  reason  he  is  ripe  for  heaven.  Wherefore 
the  little  child  in  the  pre-rational  period  of  life 
is  pure  and  holy.  It  is  only  when  he  begins  to 
follow  the  guidance  of  his  own  darkened  intellect 
and  his  own  weakened  will  that  his  inclination  to 
evil  appears. 

It  is  precisely  to  save  him  from  these  evil  incli- 
nations that  God  gave  us  positive  religion.  Posi- 
tive religion  must  supply  both  the  darkness  of 
the  intellect  and  the  weakness  of  the  will.  God 
instituted  our  holy  religion,  not  for  the  angels. 


20  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

not  for  man  in  his  original  justice,  but  for  fallen 
man ;  it  is  given  to  lead  man  back  to  justice  and 
to  eternal  life. 

These  are  consoling  truths  that  should  encour- 
age us  in  our  sublime  work  of  educating  children 
in  religion.  But  a  study  of  the  child  will  reveal 
the  same  truths  to  us.  See  the  life  of  the  little 
one.  How  early  he  begins  his  quest  for  God ! 
Listen  to  his  questions :  What  keeps  the  stars 
up  in  the  sky?  What  makes  it  rain?  What 
makes  it  dark  at  night?  What  makes  the  wind 
blow?  How  did  the  little  bird  learn  to  sing? 
These  are  all  religious  questions.  It  is  the  little 
human  being  just  turning  his  thoughts  to  the  won- 
ders of  God's  universe ;  he  is  gazing  on  creation 
and  asking  for  the  Creator. 

How  well  the  little  one  manifests  the  virtues 
that  have  been  infused  in  his  soul.  For  his  faith, 
he  believes  unto  a  fault.  In  his  simplicity,  he 
accepts  as  true  all  that  he  is  told.  Then,  too, 
how  his  little  life  is  filled  with  hope.  Pessimism 
and  despair  have  no  place  in  the  heart  of  the 
child ;  for  he  knows  how  to  laugh  through  his 
tears.  But  most  clearly  of  all,  perhaps,  the 
virtue  of  charity  is  manifest  in  the  child.  He  is 
filled  with  tenderness,  love,  affection,  sympathy, 
generosity. 


THE  CHILD  AND  RELIGION  21 

"  Fenelon,^  speaking  of  the  child's  striking  grace 
which  we  call  simplicity,  says  that  it  is  the  pearl 
of  the  Gospel  for  which  men  sought  in  distant 
lands.  Unwittingly  by  his  simplicity  the  child 
inspires  the  highest  virtue.  He  believes  all  things ; 
he  hopes  all  things ;  he  seeks  all  that  is  lovable 
and  good ;  he  admires  all  that  is  great  and  noble ; 
he  does  not  suspect  evil ;  he  is  not  envious  of  good. 
He  rejoices  with  all  that  are  happy.  If  you  love 
him,  he  will  give  you  his  heart.  If  you  appear 
to  be  virtuous,  he  will  venerate  you.  He  acts 
without  ulterior  motives,  without  malice,  with- 
out bitterness,  and  there  is  no  sarcasm  in  him. 
At  the  mere  recital  of  a  generous  deed  his  heart 
throbs  and  his  face  is  aglow.  His  tears  flow  at 
the  sight  of  misfortune.  Instinctively  he  recog- 
nizes suffering  even  before  it  is  expressed.  His 
glance  is  ever  ready  to  find  the  poor  beggar  by  the 
wayside ;  his  hand  is  always  the  first  stretched 
forth  to  help  him. 

"  No,  I  am  not  surprised  that  Jesus  Christ,  when 
His  disciples  were  disputing  which  of  them  should 
be  greater  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  I  am  not 
surprised  that  He  called  a  little  child,  embraced 
him,  placed  him  among  them  and  said:  'Amen, 
I  say  to  you  unless  you  be  converted,  and  become 

*  L'Enfant,  Dupanloup,  pp.  3S-40. 


22  THE  TEACHING   OF  RELIGION 

as  little  children,  you  shall  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven'"  (St.  Matt.  18,  5). 

It  is  of  vital  importance  to  know  the  child; 
for  thus  only  can  we  hope  to  understand  the  char- 
acter of  our  work.  And  indeed  it  is  most  impor- 
tant to  know  whether  our  training  is  to  be  remedial 
or  preservative.  But  knowing  the  heart  of  the 
child,  we  understand  that  our  teaching  must 
preserve  and  develop  the  virtues  that  are  there. 
Happy  beyond  expression  is  he  who  has  preserved 
the  innocence  of  childhood.  Accepting  the  inno- 
cence and  goodness  of  the  child,  the  teacher  readily 
sees  the  attitude  she  should  maintain  toward 
the  child.  She  should  treat  him  as  a  creature 
endowed  with  an  eternal  destiny,  as  a  being  in 
whose  immortal  soul  the  grace  of  God  has  already 
germinated.  She  should  look  upon  him  as  a 
child  of  God  seeking,  by  his  own  little  lights,  for 
his  heavenly  Father. 

If,  at  times,  the  little  ones  seem  to  show  malice 
in  their  actions  it  is  but  their  blundering  in  the 
twilight  of  reason.  These  manifestations  should 
be  for  us  not  an  occasion  of  repression  or  rebuke 
—  no  more  than  we  would  reprimand  the  toddler 
for  his  tumbles  —  but  they  should  be  a  signal  for 
help  and  encouragement.  The  child  needs  cour- 
age, especially  when  he  first  begins  to  act  in  the 


THE  CHILD  AND  RELIGION  23 

light  of  his  own  Httle  reason,  guided  by  his  own 
tender  wilL  It  is  the  function  of  the  teacher  to 
be  near  him  as  a  sturdy  friend  with  the  tenderness 
of  a  devoted  mother  guiding  the  first  steps  of  her 
child. 

We  must  respect  the  child.  He  is  filled  with 
tender  sensibilities.  To  him  a  harsh  word  may 
be  a  more  serious  injury  than  would  be  a  blow  in 
the  face  of  an  adult.  His  sensitive  nature  feels 
the  slightest  lack  of  consideration  or  kindness. 
But  we  must  do  more  than  respect  his  feelings ; 
we  must  respect  his  person.  We  must  treat  him 
with  all  politeness  and  esteem.  Thus  only  can 
we  hope  to  maintain  in  him  that  saving  quality 
of  self-respect.  To  deal  wisely  with  the  child 
requires  great  prudence.  The  child  is  like  a  tender 
flower  the  growth  of  which  may  be  blighted  by 
a  mere  touch.  The  child  is  naturally  imitative ; 
he  will  follow  our  example  more  readily  than  our 
admonitions.  Wherefore  we  must  enact  for  the 
child  the  life  we  would  have  him  learn  from  our 
teaching. 

The  teacher  must  be  the  servant  of  the  child. 
She  must  be  ready  at  his  beck  to  minister  to  his 
wants.  She  must  become  little  for  the  littleness 
of  the  child,  simple  for  the  simplicity  of  the  child ; 
she  must  adapt  herself  to  the  life  of  the  child. 


24  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

To  do  this  requires  the  virtue  of  humihty  and  the 
virtue  of  patience ;  but  above  all  it  requires  love. 
The  success  of  our  teaching  depends  largely  on 
the  quality  of  our  love  for  the  little  ones.  Teach- 
ing to  be  effective  must  be  lovable  to  the  children. 
Hence  if  we  would  train  our  children  in  religion 
we  must  make  religion  lovable  to  them.  But 
things  lovable  may  be  rejected  when  they  are 
presented  in  an  unlovable  manner.  Wherefore 
if  we  would  make  religion  lovable  to  the  children 
we  must  love  them  with  a  sane  and  unselfish  love. 
Drudgery  is  never  lovable.  Hence  the  children 
must  be  spared  all  drudgery  in  their  study  of 
religion;  it  must  be  a  joy  and  a  pleasure  for 
them. 

The  teacher  should  ever  be  cheerful.  It  is 
not  always  easy  to  be  cheerful  —  until  the  habit  of 
cheerfulness  has  been  formed.  Cheerfulness  is 
a  human  virtue ;  it  acts  in  our  lives  as  does  the 
soft  sunshine  of  morning  upon  nature.  There  is 
a  remarkable  plea  for  cheerfulness  written  about 
the  middle  of  the  second  century :  "Cast  off  sad- 
ness and  worry  and  do  not  offend  the  Holy  Ghost 
who  dwells  in  thee.  —  Put  on  therefore  cheerful- 
ness which  is  always  pleasing  and  acceptable  to 
God,  and  rejoice  therein"  (The  Shepherd  of 
Hermas).     Cheerfulness  is  contagious.     By  a  little 


THE  CHILD  AND  RELIGION  25 

suggestion  the  children  can  be  kept  in  a  cheerful 
mood.  When  they  have  cultivated  the  human 
virtue  of  cheerfulness  it  will  be  easier  for  them  to 
practice  the  divine  virtue  of  charity. 

To  make  others  happy  is  a  noble  aspiration ; 
it  should  be  the  ambition  of  every  Christian. 
Faith  and  virtue  should  bring  joy  and  cheer  even 
into  lives  of  suffering.  Facial  expression  has  a 
meaning  in  life.  The  face  ordinarily  reflects 
the  disposition  of  the  soul.  Hope  should  leave 
a  smile  ever  ready  to  play  about  the  mouth.  The 
light  of  love  and  virtue  should  gleam  from  eyes 
softened  by  human  sympathy.  The  voice  can 
be  made  the  echo  of  love.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
cultivate  a  pleasing  and  sweet-toned  voice  and  it 
is  a  great  treasure. 

The  soul  of  the  child  is  like  a  melodious  instru- 
ment and  the  teacher  is  the  musician.  Her  voice 
is  the  song  that  accompanies  her  playing ;  it  must 
be  attuned  to  the  sweetness  of  the  instrument. 
How  much  the  product  of  that  instrument  depends 
upon  the  player  !  This  is  the  rule  of  the  teacher : 
to  bring  out  the  best  that  is  in  the  child.  To  do 
this  she  must  have  confidence  in  the  child ;  she 
must  ever  give  him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt ;  she 
must  ever  attribute  good  motives  to  him.  Above 
all  things  she  must  never  shame  the  child. 


26  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

The  teacher  must  practice  forbearance.  The 
child  is  filled  with  activity  and  buoyancy.  It  is 
but  natural  that  children  should  be,  at  times, 
mischievous.  These  outbursts  of  misconduct  pre- 
sent the  material  upon  which  the  teacher  is  to 
work.  They  are  the  force  and  the  activity  that 
have  been  placed  at  her  disposal ;  it  is  her  function 
to  utilize  and  cultivate  this  energy.  If  a  child 
seems  rebellious  he  may  be  merely  misunderstood. 
Then  the  rebellious  spirit,  when  it  appears,  can 
rarely  resist  kindness. 

It  is  true,  children  are  sometimes  neglected  at 
home.  They  may  be  living  in  the  midst  of  scandal 
and  sin.  But  these  conditions  are  beyond  the 
sphere  of  the  teacher;  she  should  observe  great 
delicacy  about  such  family  matters.  If  the  child 
must  bear  the  stigma  of  parental  shame  or  igno- 
rance, the  teacher  should  be  a  devoted  and  con- 
siderate friend  to  help  him  bear  it.  In  such  cases 
the  teacher  should  be  even  more  gentle  and  kind 
than  usual.  She  should  be  more  indulgent  to  the 
poor  child  who  has  been  deprived  of  home  training. 
Then  she  may  hope  to  supply  the  saving  influences 
that  are  lacking  in  the  life  of  the  child. 

The  teacher  should  have  sympathy  for  the 
child ;  she  should  enter  into  his  interests ;  she 
should  try  to  understand  his  childish  viewpoints ; 


THE   CHILD  AxND  RELIGION  27 

she  should  be  for  him  a  tried  and  trusted  friend. 
Thus  she  will  reflect  the  love  and  tenderness  of 
religion ;  she  will  be  a  fitting  instrument  of  divine 
love ;  she  will  be  worthy  to  lead  the  little  ones  to 
Christ. 


CHAPTER  IV 

Religious  Development  of  the  Child 

Every  living  creature  of  earth  grows  to  the 
fullness  of  life  by  its  own  natural  development. 
It  is  thus  man  must  arrive  at  the  fullness  of  rational 
and  spiritual  life.  There  is  a  close  analogy  between 
the  physical  and  the  rational  life  of  man.  Through 
nourishment  and  the  exercise  of  his  bodily  powers 
the  child  grows  in  physical  strength.  By  knowl- 
edge and  by  the  exercise  of  his  mental  powers 
the  child  grows  unto  rational  life.  Knowledge, 
in  its  broadest  sense,  is  the  nurture  of  the  mind. 
But,  like  the  body,  the  mind  must  be  nurtured 
according  to  its  own  proper  laws  of  development. 

The  physical  child  grows  and  thrives  then 
only  when  he  receives  the  food  and  exercise  which 
his  physical  constitution  demands.  Both  food 
and  exercise  must  be  measured  to  the  organs 
and  strength  of  the  child.  If  he  takes  too  much 
or  too  little  food  or  exercise  his  development  will 
be  impeded.  If  he  takes  food  that  he  cannot 
digest  or  exercise  that  overtaxes  his  strength  his 
health  will  be  impaired.     It  is  thus  with  the  mind. 

28 


RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD    29 

The  child  must  partake  of  knowledge  suited  to 
his  own  mental  powers.  No  other  knowledge 
save  that  which  he  can  assimilate  will  benefit  him. 
All  other  knowledge  will  be  injurious  to  him ; 
it  will  be  like  so  much  undigested  food  in  the 
stomach.  Then,  too,  if  he  would  save  his  mental 
faculties  from  atrophy,  he  must  exercise  them ; 
but  this  exercise  must  never  overtax  his  capacity. 

Wherefore  it  is  clear  that  we  must  adapt  our 
teaching  to  the  mind  of  the  child ;  it  must  be 
suited  to  his  present  needs.  The  child  cannot 
take  knowledge  to-day  to  serve  for  to-morrow,  no 
more  than  he  can  take  food  to  be  digested  the 
following  week.  Indeed  he  takes  nourishment 
to-day  to  give  him  more  strength  to-morrow; 
but  the  norm  of  nurture  is  the  regulated  appetite 
of  the  moment.  Our  training,  then,  should  en- 
able the  child  to  live  his  present  life.  It  is  by  liv- 
ing his  present  life  properly  that  he  can  be  fitted 
for  his  life  of  the  future.  The  little  child  learns 
to  go  about  the  streets  of  the  city  in  later  life  by 
toddling  about  the  nursery.  Thus  the  child  must 
find  religion  in  his  own  little  world  of  childhood 
if  he  is  to  find  it  later  in  the  great  world  of  life. 

She,  therefore,  who  would  guide  the  religious 
life  of  the  child  must  enter  into  the  child  world. 
She  must  bring  her  teaching  down  to  the  plane  of 


30  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

the  child's  experience.  She  must  keep  ever  within 
the  sphere  of  the  child's  interests.  Mere  atten- 
tion is  often  mistaken  for  interest.  Indeed  chil- 
dren may  listen  with  rapt  attention  to  you  though 
they  be  not  interested  in  what  you  are  saying. 
Attention  may  be  commanded  ;  but  interests  grow. 

Religion  should  be  the  guiding  principle  in  all 
the  affairs  of  men ;  it  should  be  associated  with 
all  their  interests  in  life.  It  is  for  this  reason  we 
would  go  down  into  the  child's  little  interests  and 
help  him  to  establish  them  upon  the  basis  of  reli- 
gion. Adult  interests  have  little  or  no  meaning 
for  children  except  in  their  point  of  contact  with 
their  lives.  Hence  it  is  patently  futile  to  attempt 
to  foster  upon  children  a  store  of  adult  knowledge. 

The  mind  of  the  teacher  must  work  in  unison 
with  the  mind  of  the  child.  She  must  stoop  to 
the  littleness  of  the  child  and  seek  to  encourage 
and  help  him  in  his  little  mental  struggles.  She 
must  moderate  her  own  zeal  and  eagerness  to  the 
tenderness  and  weakness  of  the  young  minds 
which  she  seeks  to  direct.  She  must  measure  her 
pace  to  the  pace  of  the  child. 

The  child  should  grow  slowly  and  gradually  in 
religion.  He  should  learn  divine  truth  as  he 
acquires  his  everyday  knowledge.  He  should 
learn  to  see  its  bearing  upon  every  thought,  word. 


RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD    31 

and  deed  of  his  life;  it  must  become  the  guiding 
principle  of  his  life.  Life  is  a  series  of  problems ; 
it  is  man's  business  in  the  world  to  solve  these 
problems.  The  dumb  animals  have  their  problems 
solved  for  them ;  they  are  guided  by  blind  instinct 
in  working  out  their  destiny.  But  the  rational 
creature  is  given  a  faculty  by  which  to  solve  his 
own  problems  of  life. 

We  are  continually  solving,  or  attempting  to 
solve,  problems  by  the  process  of  our  thoughts. 
But  the  problems  of  life  practically  all  fall  within 
the  sphere  of  religion.  For  religion  embraces 
the  whole  arena  of  life  and  death ;  it  enters  into 
our  own  being ;  it  determines  our  relations  to  our 
Creator;  it  marks  our  attitude  toward  the  uni- 
verse ;  it  supplies  the  norms  for  all  our  dealings 
with  our  fellow  man.  Faith  gives  us  the  prin- 
ciples with  which  to  solve  the  problems  of  life. 
The  divine  truths  of  faith  are  to  our  lives  what 
the  axioms  and  theorems  are  in  Euclid.  It  is 
not  enough  to  know  these  axioms  and  theorems 
to  be  a  geometrician.  Even  so  it  does  not  suffice 
for  a  Christian  life  to  know  the  truths  of  faith. 

These  truths  must  be  applied  to  our  lives ;  they 
are,  as  it  were,  a  super-reason  added  to  natural 
reason  to  enable  us  to  solve  the  problems  of  life. 
But  the  child  who  would  learn  mathematics  must 


32  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

solve  his  own  problems.  Even  so  the  child 
must  develop  in  religion  by  the  exercise  of  his  own 
powers.  He  must  learn  to  solve  the  problems  of 
child  life  so  that  later  he  will  be  able  to  solve  the 
problems  of  adult  life.  This  he  must  do  in  accord 
with  the  truths  of  faith.  Religious  training,  then, 
is  the  application  of  divine  truth  to  the  life  of  the 
child.  But  the  child  himself  must  make  the 
application  if  he  is  to  grow  in  religion. 

This  leads  to  the  consideration  of  methods  in 
teaching  religion.  Now  there  are  three  modes  of 
engendering  knowledge  in  the  minds  of  others : 

(1)  by  exciting  thought  on  the  part  of  the  pupil ; 

(2)  by  suggestion ;  (3)  by  direct  communication. 
These  three  modes  of  imparting  knowledge  are 
here  given  in  their  order  of  importance. 

Naturally  knowledge  that  is  a  product  of  the 
child's  own  thought  and  reflection  is  of  most  value 
to  him.  Not  only  is  it  assimilated  knowledge, 
but  it  is  mental  exercise  which  directly  promotes 
the  development  of  the  child.  Hence  the  child's 
thought  process  must  be  the  prime  factor  in  his 
religious  training.  Suggestion  and  direct  com- 
munication are  but  aids  to  the  child's  thought  and 
reflection.  The  imagination,  which  is  strong  in 
children,  will  serve  to  enliven  their  thought  and 
reflection.     Then,  too,  the  child  possesses  intuition 


RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD    33 

which  often  enables  him  to  divine  the  truth.  All 
this  mental  power  must  be  set  to  work  for  the  solu- 
tion of  life  problems.  If  the  teacher  can  suggest 
the  problem,  she  should  not  communicate  it  di- 
rectly. If  she  can  lead  to  the  solution  by  mere 
suggestion,  it  is  better  than  direct  communication. 
Thus  always  as  much  as  possible  is  left  to  the  pow- 
ers of  the  child. 

To  attain  these  purposes  of  religious  teaching 
we  have  given  the  questioning  method  a  prominent 
place  in  our  early  courses.  It  is  true  the  questions 
actually  present  the  problems  to  the  mind  of  the 
child.  The  questions  are  generally  so  formed  as 
to  suggest  the  solution,  and  the  progression  of 
thought  in  the  questions  also  facilitates  the  find- 
ing of  the  correct  solution.  However,  the  skillful 
teacher  will  often  be  able  to  bring  the  problems 
to  the  minds  of  the  children  without  the  questions. 
If  she  can  do  this,  it  is  all  for  the  better.  But 
this  will  by  no  means  detract  from  the  utility  of 
the  questions  set  down.  Here  the  subject  matter 
is  prepared  in  its  relation  to  the  life  of  the  child. 

In  disposing  the  subject  matter  the  great  prob- 
lems of  life  have  been  divided  and  subdivided  into 
a  multitude  of  little  problems  suited  to  the  child 
mind.  When  the  child  begins  to  learn  arithmetic 
he  busies  himself  with  such  little  problems  as  1 


S4  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

plus  2,  2  plus  2,  2  plus  3.  Eventually  he  learns 
to  solve  long  and  complicated  problems.  It  is 
thus  in  religion.  The  great  problem  of  life  and 
existence,  taken  as  a  whole,  might  be  solved  by 
the  expression:  "God  is  the  Giver  of  life,  the 
Creator  of  all  things."  But  to  the  little  mind 
this  solution  might  be  as  complicated  and  as 
unintelligible  as  the  solution  of  an  involved  prob- 
lem in  trigonometry  is  to  the  pupil  just  beginning 
arithmetic. 

The  great  problem  of  creation  has  no  place  in 
the  life  of  the  little  child.  He  is,  however,  inter- 
ested in  the  things  of  his  own  little  world.  He 
might  readily  learn  to  solve  such  problems  as  these  : 
Who  gave  you  your  father  and  mother  .^^  Who 
makes  the  trees  grow?  Who  made  the  stars .^ 
Thus  the  great  problem  of  creation  may  be  divided 
into  numberless  little  problems.  Not  only  are 
these  little  problems  within  the  capacity  of  the 
child  mind,  but  they  have  a  meaning  for  the  child. 
If  they  have  been  presented  to  him  in  their  proper 
order,  they  interest  him  and  they  lead  him  to  know 
and  love  God. 

In  our  first  course  we  began  with  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  It  is  supposed  that  children  six  years 
of  age  have  learned  this  prayer  and  that  they 
say  it  daily.     Yet  we  do  not  intend  to  analyze 


RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD    35 

the  Lord's  Prayer ;  we  would  simply  use  it  as  the 
point  of  contact  between  God  and  their  own  little 
lives.  Little  children  are  home  bodies ;  their 
experience  is  practically  all  confined  to  home 
life.  This  has  its  advantage  for  us  when  we  under- 
take to  present  God  to  them  so  that  He  may  take 
His  place  in  their  lives  ;  for  it  enables  us  to  present 
God  as  our  Father.  It  is  easy  for  the  children 
to  pass  from  the  idea  of  their  natural  father  to  the 
idea  of  their  heavenly  Father.  Thus  we  engage 
them  in  conversation  about  their  natural  father. 
All  willingly  they  tell  us  about  his  love  and  his 
care  for  them. 

At  intervals  one  or  the  other  is  asked  to  say  the 
Lord's  Prayer.  There  God  is  called  our  Father. 
Again  we  take  up  the  functions  of  a  father.  Then 
comes  the  problem  of  our  origin.  They  are  led 
back  in  thought  to  babyhood.  God  is  in  their 
mind.  Then  we  ask :  Who  gave  you  to  your 
father  and  mother?  Surely  it  is  easy.  Then 
they  pass  to  others.  God  gives  all  little  babies  to 
their  father  and  mother;  then  it  is  but  a  step  to 
the  idea  of  where  God  got  us ;  then  another  little 
step  and  we  arrive  at  the  truth :  We  are  all  God's 
children. 

But  children  like  to  talk  to  their  father »  We 
like  to  talk  with  God.     Here  we  have  arrived  at 


36  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

the  meaning  of  prayer.  Henceforth  prayer  can- 
not be  an  empty  form  for  them.  When  they 
pray  they  are  talking,  consciously  talking,  with 
their  heavenly  Father.  The  truth  has  germinated 
in  them ;  all  their  life  now  this  shall  be  a  motiva- 
tion for  them. 

But  if  we  are  all  God's  children  we  are  all  like 
brothers  and  sisters.  All  the  people  in  the  world 
form  one  great  family  of  which  God  is  Father. 
Here  we  have  arrived  at  the  universal  brother- 
hood of  man.  The  mind  of  the  child  has  dis- 
covered it  before  he  is  able  to  name  it.  Thank 
God,  the  truth  is  there  in  the  very  foundation  of 
his  character.  But  if  we  are  all  like  brothers  and 
sisters,  all  members  of  one  great  family,  we  must 
love  one  another.  God  loves  all  His  children. 
We  love  them  all,  too,  because  God  loves  them ; 
and  we  love  them  because  they  are  like  our  broth- 
ers and  sisters.  This  is  the  simple  form  of  that 
great  commandment:  "Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself"  (St.  Matt.  22,  39). 

All  this  means  the  application  of  the  truth  to  the 
lives  of  the  children.  As  soon  as  they  learn  by 
reflection  that  God  is  our  heavenly  Father  the 
truth  becomes  operative  in  their  life.  A  motive 
for  loving  God  has  been  planted  in  their  heart; 
for  surely  children  love  their  father.     The  motive 


RELIGIOUS  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CHILD    37 

and  the  meaning  of  prayer  have  become  part  of 
their  lives.  Now  they  know  why  they  should 
be  kind  to  one  another,  help  one  another,  love 
one  another ;  for  they  are  all  children  of  one  great 
family.  It  is  thus  we  proceed  throughout  the 
whole  course  of  religious  teaching. 

The  questions  are  so  arranged  that  the  progres- 
sion of  thought  is  easy  for  the  child.  He  is  called 
upon  to  reflect  a  moment  at  times ;  but  generally 
the  solution  of  the  little  problem  is  clear  to  him. 
When  he  has  become  interested  in  a  topic,  certain 
questions  present  themselves  to  his  mind.  These 
make  our  direct  communication  effective.  For 
we  should  tell  the  child  that  alone  which  he  ex- 
plicitly or  implicitly  wishes  to  know.  Thus,  for 
instance,  when  he  has  grasped  the  idea  of  divine 
revelation,  certain  questions  naturally  arise.  Our 
heavenly  Father  has  told  us  many  things  about 
Himself,  about  heaven,  about  the  angels.  It  is 
as  loving  parents  talk  to  their  children.  Now 
the  children  are  naturally  interested  in  knowing 
when  and  how  God  spoke  to  us.  These  are  facts 
which  they  cannot  discover  for  themselves ;  but 
their  minds  are  open  to  receive  them.  Then  as 
soon  as  we  have  communicated  these  facts  to  them 
we  converse  with  the  children  about  them.  Thus 
they  exercise  their  mind. 


S8  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

All  the  truths  of  faith  can  be  thus  simply 
brought  into  the  lives  of  children.  Nor  need  we 
scruple  about  forms  and  expressions ;  we  are 
treating  divine  truth  from  the  standpoint  of  life. 
When  the  children  have  thus  assimilated  the 
truth  we  need  have  no  fear  of  their  dogmatic  pre- 
cision ;  they  will  be  able  to  state  the  great  dogmas 
of  faith  with  far  greater  accuracy  than  those 
who  have  merely  conned  formulae  by  rote.  It  is 
training  unto  life ;  it  is  the  development  of  the 
child  in  religion  with  the  aid  of  his  natural  powers ; 
it  is  the  process  of  building  up  Christian  character. 


CHAPTER  V 

By-Methods  and  Materials 

When  children  have  learned  to  read  they  pos- 
sess a  new  and  highly  useful  means  of  acquiring 
knowledge.  It  is  but  natural  that  this  accomplish- 
ment should  be  utilized  in  their  religious  training. 
Hence  they  should  have  a  suitable  textbook  in 
religion.  Now  textbooks  belong  only  to  the  third 
order  of  teaching  modes,  since  they  transmit 
knowledge  by  direct  communication.  The  text- 
book in  religion  should  not  be  taken  as  a  treatise 
on  religion  to  be  conned  and  memorized.  It 
should  serve  not  as  their  teaching,  but  as  the  basis 
of  their  teaching.  It  should  furnish  food  for 
thought  to  the  minds  of  the  children. 

The  textbook  should  be  suited  to  the  capacity  of 
the  children  in  each  course.  It  should  be  written 
in  the  direct  narrative  in  a  simple  and  lucid  style ; 
it  should  present  the  teachings  of  faith  from  the 
viewpoint  of  the  child.  The  children  read  the  text 
in  preparation  for  the  lesson.  This  they  do  at 
home  or  at  other  times  of  study.  In  the  recitation, 
the  matter  that  the  children  have  read  is  developed. 


40  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

The  children  reflect  upon  the  different  problems 
that  are  suggested  thereby  and  find  their  solution. 
This  will  have  the  added  advantage  of  training  the 
children  to  think  upon  their  reading.  They  may 
not  remember  a  single  phrase  from  the  text.  Per- 
haps it  is  better  so.  But  the  facts  which  they  have 
read  will  recur  during  the  recitation.  They  will 
find  these  facts  useful  in  their  thought  processes. 
Thus  their  interest  will  grow  in  the  text  and  they 
will  learn  to  reflect  upon  the  sense  of  their  reading. 
Furthermore,  the  truths  which  they  have  read 
will  be  applied  later  more  directly  to  their  lives. 
This  should  enable  them  better  to  use  their  intellect 
in  the  regulation  of  their  lives.  Finally  these 
matters  which  have  been  received  in  the  intellec- 
tual order  will  be  treated  in  the  light  of  feeling 
and  imagination.  Indeed  the  imagination  should 
also  do  its  part  in  the  religious  development  of  the 
child.  Children  have  a  vivid  imagination.  The 
little  boy,  by  the  magic  of  phantasy,  converts  his 
father's  cane  into  a  prancing  steed.  The  tiny 
doll  mother  attends  to  all  manner  of  imaginary 
wants  in  the  fictitious  life  of  her  porcelain  child. 
At  play  children  enact  real  life  in  the  realm  of 
phantasy.  But  it  is  a  delightful  and  useful  re- 
hearsal for  the  drama  of  life  that  they  are  to  play 
in  the  world  of  realities. 


BY-METHODS  AND  MATERIALS  41 

The  imagination  of  children  can  be  best  utilized, 
perhaps,  in  the  invention  of  stories  and  plays. 
Children  like  to  "make  up"  stories.  They  soon 
learn  to  exemplify  their  ideas  of  life  by  fictitious 
narratives.  The  teacher  might  indeed  invent  little 
stories  to  impress  the  meaning  of  virtue  or  truth 
upon  their  tender  minds.  But  it  is  far  better  to 
lead  the  children  to  "make  up"  their  own  stories. 
Thus  they  exercise  their  own  little  minds. 

It  is  generally  enough  if  the  teacher  suggests 
that  they  make  up  some  stories.  The  subjects 
can  be  indirectly  suggested  to  them  so  that  they 
will  tell  a  story  that  has  some  bearing  on  religion. 

For  instance,  in  their  lesson  they  have  said  that 
we  should  visit  sick  people,  and  try  to  make  them 
happy ;  they  have  spoken  about  helping  poor 
people ;  they  have  told  about  the  flowers  and  the 
birds.  The  teacher  might  suggest:  "Children, 
perhaps  you  would  like  to  make  up  some  stories 
on  those  things  that  you  told  me  to-day.  Tell 
me  again  some  of  the  things  you  were  talking 
about.  Oh,  yes ;  sick  people.  Perhaps  some  one 
could  make  a  nice  story  to  show  how  to  be  good  to 
sick  people."  Then,  too,  the  subject  of  helping 
the  poor  could  be  suggested. 

The  children  will  soon  learn  to  invent  little 
fables.     It  can  be  suggested  to  them  to  make  the 


42  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

flowers,  the  trees,  the  birds,  the  horse,  the  dog  talk. 
When  they  get  the  idea  they  will  invent  their 
stories  with  glee.  When  they  are  at  work  upon  a 
story,  suggestions  can  be  made  to  them  tactfully  : 
*'Does  the  poor  horse  want  to  know  where  the 
corn  and  hay  come  from?"  "I  wonder  what  the 
little  flower  would  say  if  it  knew  that  God  made  it." 

But  children  are  more  expert  still  at  play.  They 
have  practiced  play  from  early  childhood.  In 
their  play  little  ones  enact  the  lives  and  actions 
of  their  elders.  They  "play  house,"  "mother," 
"store,"  and  the  like.  These  "plays"  alone 
would  serve  them  well.  It  is  necessary  only  to 
add  the  new  ideas  of  life  that  they  have  learned. 
When  they  play  "house"  now  they  can  be  led  to 
introduce  there  the  ideas  of  good  manners,  love, 
kindness,  and  consideration  for  one  another. 

A  short  time  ago  the  idea  of  plays  was  suggested 
to  a  class  of  little  ones  just  turned  six.  In  a  few 
minutes  they  were  playing  the  "  sick  woman."  On 
that  occasion  they  got  the  rudimentary  ideas  of 
the  play.  But  the  following  day  they  developed 
the  plot.  The  whole  class  took  part  in  it.  The 
poor,  sick  woman  (evidently  a  widow ;  for  no 
husband  was  assigned)  was  given  a  family  of  eight 
children,  all  of  whom  were  supposed  to  be  hungry 
and  poorly   clad.     Then   there   was   a   priest,   a 


BY-METHODS  AND   MATERIALS  43 

doctor,  a  trained  nurse,  a  groceryman,  and  the 
rest  were  kind  neighbors.  The  neighbors  came 
to  visit  the  sick  woman;  they  sympathized  with 
the  sufferer  and  sent  for  the  doctor.  They  took 
care  of  the  children  and  sent  to  the  grocer  for  pro- 
visions. Finally  they  sent  for  the  priest.  It  was 
consoling  to  see  how  these  little  tots  applied  in 
their  play  the  ideas  of  love  and  kindness  they  had 
learned  by  the  "questioning  method." 

There  are  other  well-known  modes  of  impress- 
ing the  truth  upon  the  children.  Among  these 
the  use  of  the  senses  holds  an  important  place. 
It  is  always  useful  to  visualize  knowledge  for  chil- 
dren. Pictures  are  good,  but  realities  are  better. 
A  flower  is  more  impressive  than  the  picture  of  a 
flower,  a  bird  than  the  picture  of  a  bird.  So 
whenever  possible  the  reality  itself  should  be  used 
to  stimulate  thought. 

The  class  mentioned  above  was  asked  to  point 
out  something  in  the  room  that  made  them  think 
of  God.  One  little  girl  just  turning  six  said : 
"Those  flowers  (there  were  flowers  on  the  desk) 
make  me  think  of  God,  'cause  God  made  the 
flowers  to  make  the  room  pretty  so  that  we 
would  be  happy."  At  different  times  they  pointed 
to  things  around  them  and  showed  their  relation 
to  God.     Always  the  idea  of  God's  goodness  was 


44  THE  TEACHING   OF  RELIGION 

brought  forth  by  the  children.  A  house  across 
the  street  sufficed  for  a  whole  lesson.  God  put  in 
the  ground  the  stones  of  which  it  was  built;  He 
made  the  wood  grow  on  trees;  He  put  the  iron 
and  copper  for  the  hinges,  nails,  door  knobs,  and 
the  like  in  the  mountains.  Thus  they  accounted 
for  the  slate,  the  tin,  the  glass  (here  they  needed 
help  on  the  ingredients).  Then  they  proceeded 
to  account  for  the  furniture,  the  carpets,  the 
curtains,  the  clothes.  These  brought  forth  the 
considerations  of  God's  bounty  in  making  wool 
grow  on  sheep  and  flax  and  cotton  grow  in  the 
ground. 

One  day  it  was  raining.  When  asked  what  they 
wanted  to  talk  about,  several  said,  the  rain.  Here 
it  developed  that  God  made  it  rain  to  make  the 
flowers,  the  grass,  the  plants,  the  trees  grow. 
The  discussion  led  to  a  consideration  of  fruits  and 
crops  and  so  naturally  to  God's  divine  providence 
for  His  children.  A  few  weeks  later  it  was  snow- 
ing. This  time  another  class  was  "holding  a  con- 
versation on  God."  The  snow  was  round  about 
on  the  street,  on  the  roofs,  and  on  the  window 
sills.  It  quite  naturally  became  the  topic  for  dis- 
cussion. The  first  fact  brought  out  was  that  the 
snow  was  like  a  blanket  which  God  spread  over  the 
earth  to  keep  the  grass  (wheat,  etc.)  warm.     Then 


BY-METHODS  AND   MATERIALS  45 

it  melted  to  make  the  earth  rich  so  that  things 
would  grow  in  the  spring.  Its  special  utility,  how- 
ever, was  for  sledding.  At  this  juncture  a  little  lad 
of  eight  asked  :  "Why  did  God  make  the  snow  and 
ice  slippery.'^"  With  a  little  vague  suggestion  the 
children  soon  discovered  God's  purpose  in  making 
the  snow  and  ice  "slippery."  It  was  necessary 
only  to  turn  their  thoughts  to  the  countries  of  the 
north  —  Alaska,  Siberia,  and  others.  Then  they 
saw  that  people  could  not  live  in  those  snow-bound 
countries  had  not  God  made  the  snow  and  ice 
"slippery."  Thus  "out  of  the  mouth  of  infants 
and  of  sucklings  Thou  hast  perfected  praise" 
(Psalms  8,  3). 

One  more  example  may  be  permitted  for  the 
use  of  realities.  In  the  second  grade  a  boy  of 
seven  produced  a  pencil  as  an  object  that  made 
him  think  how  good  God  is  to  us.  He  said  that 
God  put  the  lead  in  the  ground  so  that  we  could 
dig  it  out  and  make  pencils.  But  much  more  was 
deduced  from  the  pencil.  God  had  made  the  wood 
grow  on  trees,  the  rubber  was  also  taken  from  trees 
where  God  had  made  it  grow.  The  tin  rubber 
holder  was  made  of  iron  that  God  put  in  the  moun- 
tains. The  paint  was  made  from  things  (minerals 
and  vegetables)  that  God  had  prepared.  Then  it 
was  suggested  to  them  that  there  was  something 


46  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

else  that  they  had  not  mentioned.  This  they 
finally  found;  it  was  writing.  When  challenged 
to  show  how  that  made  them  think  of  God,  a  little 
fellow  declared :  "God  gave  us  a  soul  so  that  we 
could  write."  He  explained,  on  being  questioned, 
that  you  had  to  think  to  write  and  that  you 
couldn't  think  if  you  didn't  have  a  soul. 

Thus  real  things  serve  the  purpose  of  giving 
praise  to  God.  But  pictures  also  have  their 
educational  value,  especially  for  young  children. 
Pictures  are  properly  illustrative.  They  both 
serve  to  impress  truth  upon  the  child  mind  and  to 
help  hold  his  interest.  But  pictures  should  always 
be,  in  some  sense,  worthy  of  the  reality  which 
they  represent ;  they  should  not  detract  from  the 
things  they  depict.  For  instance,  children  often 
conceive  a  false  idea  of  God  the  Father  from  the 
picture  of  a  severe,  old  man  with  a  long  beard. 
Many  go  through  life  with  the  idea  that  angels 
really  have  wings.  And  it  is  not  rare  to  find  chil- 
dren who  carry  in  their  minds  the  image  of  three 
strange-looking  gods  taken  from  a  fantastic  picture 
of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 

There  are  some  things  that  cannot  be  ade- 
quately depicted  either  in  color  or  sculpture. 
It  were  far  better  that  pictures  and  statues  of 
God  the  Father  and  God  the  Holy  Ghost  (except 


BY-METHODS  AND  MATERIALS  47 

perhaps  in  the  form  of  a  dove)  and  of  the  Blessed 
Trinity  were  omitted  from  the  Hst  of  materials  for 
religious  teaching.  Pictures  of  the  angels  with 
wings  are  less  objectionable.  Here,  after  all, 
we  are  not  dealing  with  the  infinite  majesty  of 
God.  And  it  can  at  least  do  no  harm  if  children 
are  convinced  that  angels  have  wings.  Pictures 
excite  interest ;  but  it  is  always  necessary  to  guard 
against  the  false  impressions  which  they  may 
produce.  In  the  use  of  pictures  the  aesthetic  taste 
should  be  cultivated  in  the  children.  They  should 
gradually  learn  to  love  and  appreciate  Christian 
art. 

In  the  same  manner  children  should  love  to 
learn  good  literature.  In  their  early  years  they 
should  make  natural  acquaintance  with  books 
and  writings.  At  the  same  time  they  should 
learn  to  read  for  the  content  rather  than  as  a  task. 
Thus  in  teaching  religion  we  must  lead  the  little 
ones  to  see  the  good,  the  true,  and  the  beautiful 
in  art  and  literature  and  in  the  lives  of  men.  They 
must  learn  to  associate  all  that  is  good  and  beauti- 
ful in  life  and  nature  with  our  heavenly  Father. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Story-Telling  and  Literature 

The  force  of  example  is  proverbial ;  it  is  for  this 
reason  that  we  coordinate  religious  teaching  with 
history.  The  good  and  noble  deeds  of  men  are 
not  only  meritorious  in  themselves,  but  they 
stimulate  good  and  noble  aspirations  in  others. 
History  depicts  much  that  is  ennobling  in  the  lives 
of  men.  There  are  set  down  deeds  of  valor, 
heroism,  virtue,  and  self-sacrifice.  The  lives  of 
the  saints  and  martyrs  especially  manifest  the 
nobility  and  the  sanctity  of  life  to  which  mortals 
may  aspire. 

Biography,  then,  may  serve  an  important  pur- 
pose in  the  teaching  of  religion.  It  is  from  the 
lives  of  men  that,  for  the  most  part,  stories  and 
narratives  should  be  drawn  to  illustrate  religious 
teaching  and  impress  it  upon  the  hearts  of  the 
little  ones.  However,  the  rule  of  apperception 
must  be  observed  both  in  the  selection  and  in  the 
telling  of  stories.  For  little  children  stories  should 
be  selected  that  appeal  especially  to  the  imagina- 
tion.    Hence  it  would  seem  that  stories  and  fables 

48 


STORY-TELLING  AND  LITERATURE  49 

taken  from  nature  would  be  best  suited  to  their 
tender  minds.  They  love  to  imagine  things. 
The  flowers  and  the  birds  and  the  little  stars  can 
be  made  talk  for  them.  Listen  to  the  little  miss 
talking  to  her  doll.  Hear  the  toot  of  the  little 
spool  train  drawn  by  a  little  lad. 

The  little  tots  are  not  deceived  and  made  feel 
that  the  plants  and  animals  and  inanimate  things 
can  really  talk.  Ask  a  little  one  what  he  thinks 
the  flower,  the  bird,  or  the  bee  would  say  if  it 
could  talk  and  you  will  ordinarily  be  delighted 
with  the  answer  you  receive.  Says  one  little  tot : 
"The  flower  would  thank  God  for  making  it  so 
pretty."  Another:  "The  little  bird  would  thank 
God  for  teaching  it  to  sing  and  for  giving  it  such 
a  pretty  coat  to  wear."  Still  another  perhaps : 
"The  tiny  bee  would  tell  God  it  is  happy  because 
He  gave  it  so  many  fine  flowers  to  feed  on." 

Stories  for  little  children  should  be  short, 
centered  about  one  idea.  They  should  not  present 
problems  to  them  that  are  beyond  their  capacity 
to  solve.  For  example,  death  should  not  occur  in 
stories  until  the  children  to  whom  they  are  told 
have  the  true  meaning  of  death.  The  story  of  the 
Holy  Innocents  and  the  stories  of  the  martyrs  are 
of  this  kind.  After  the  children  learn  that  death 
is  a  "going  home"  to  our  heavenly  Father  these 


50  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

stories  will  make  a  good  impression  upon  them. 
But  before  they  have  taken  this  attitude  toward 
death  such  stories  may  confuse  them ;  they  may 
not  be  able  to  harmonize  them  with  God's  mercy 
and  love. 

Children  like  pathos  and  tenderness ;  they  are 
thrilled  at  the  recital  of  noble  exploits.  They  are 
interested  in  the  deeds  of  men ;  they  are  moved 
to  emulation  especially  by  narratives  that  tell 
the  courage  and  achievement  of  other  children. 
Stories  are  often  wish-fulfillments  for  children. 
When  ideal  characters  are  presented  to  them, 
their  phantasy  is  aroused.  They  assume  in  their 
own  imagination  the  part  of  the  hero  or  heroine 
or  of  some  other  pleasing  character.  Ordinarily 
perhaps  in  stories  that  interest  them  they  take 
the  part  of  the  characters  that  are  to  their  liking. 
This  tendency  in  children  to  assume  characters  is 
of  utility  to  the  teacher.  It  indicates  to  her  the 
sort  of  stories  that  are  best  suited  to  the  children. 
With  this  in  mind  the  stories  can  be  so  selected  as 
to  promote  the  formation  of  ideals  in  the  minds 
of  the  children. 

The  formation  of  ideals  in  children  is  of  vital 
importance  for  their  future.  For  just  as  all  things 
created  first  existed  as  an  idea  in  the  mind  of  God, 
so  the  future  man  must,  in  some  sense,  exist  in  the 


STORY-TELLING  AND   LITERATURE  51 

mind  of  the  child  from  whom  he  is  to  develop.  It 
is  then  a  function  of  the  story  to  develop  ideals. 
The  story  is  a  means  of  development  rather  than  of 
instruction.  Hence  it  must  ever  bear  relation  to 
the  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  children. 
In  other  words,  the  story-teller  must  observe  the 
law  of  apperception. 

The  child  may  listen  attentively  to  a  story,  be 
amused  at  it,  be  moved  to  wonderment.  But  if  it 
be  beyond  the  sphere  of  his  interests  it  will  not 
produce  results.  Wherefore  the  story-content 
must  be  as  far  as  possible  proportioned  to  the 
development  of  the  child.  This  is  especially  true 
in  the  teaching  of  religion.  In  religion  the  story 
should  strike  a  kindred  sentiment  or  fact  in  the 
mind  and  heart  of  the  child.  It  should  produce  its 
own  harmonious  response  in  his  soul.  Never 
should  it  be  necessary  to  moralize  on  a  story.  If 
the  story  will  not  produce  its  own  spontaneous 
impression  on  the  child  it  were  better  left  untold. 
If  you  tell  a  child  a  story  about  a  noble  deed  it 
should  create  in  him  a  desire  to  do  something  noble. 
If  the  teacher  felt  constrained  to  say  :  *'  Now,  you 
should  try  to  do  noble  deeds  like  that,"  it  would 
be  a  confession  that  the  story  was  a  failure.  It 
would  be  like  explaining  the  point  in  a  joke  after 
it  has  been  told.     However,  it  is  well  to  lead  the 


52  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

children  to  reflect  upon  the  content  of  the  story. 
They  can  be  asked  to  tell  what  they  think  about 
the  different  personages  and  their  actions.  This 
will  be  thought-productive  for  them ;  it  will 
often  aid  them  to  see  more  clearly  the  moral  of 
the  story. 

The  story  should  have  a  logical  bearing  upon 
the  lesson  of  the  moment.  Recitations  properly 
conducted  take  on  the  character  of  conversations 
between  teacher  and  pupils,  the  pupils  seemingly 
playing  the  more  important  role.  Now  in  ordinary 
conversations  our  narratives  must  have  a  direct 
bearing  upon  the  subject  under  discussion,  else 
they  will  be  out  of  place.  It  is  the  same  with  the 
teaching  story.  It  must  refer  logically  and  nat- 
urally to  the  topic  that  is  under  discussion.  Thus, 
for  instance,  if  we  are  talking  about  the  Command- 
ments, the  story  of  Moses  is  quite  apropos.  If 
we  are  considering  the  subject  of  sin,  the  story 
of  the  fallen  angels  will  fit  the  occasion.  But 
the  story  of  the  Last  Supper,  for  instance,  would 
be  out  of  place  in  a  treatment  of  Baptism. 

Stories  must  be  well  scrutinized  before  they  are 
told  to  children.  One  false  note  may  be  sufficient, 
even  in  a  good  story,  to  produce  an  evil  result. 
It  is  as  if  a  little  poison  were  hidden  in  a  fine,  large 
loaf  of  bread.     Often,  too,  there  is  danger  lest  the 


STORY-TELLING  AND  LITERATURE  53 

villain  elicit  more  sympathy  than  the  hero.  Some- 
times the  fault  lies  in  the  telling  of  the  story. 
To  tell  a  story  well  it  is  necessary  to  know  the  child 
mind.  The  child  loves  action  and  the  realistic. 
Thus  the  story  of  Moses  on  Mount  Sinai  might 
be  told  in  two  different  strains. 

God  gave  the  Commandments  to  Moses  on 
Mount  Sinai  amid  thunder  and  lightning.  They 
were  written  on  two  stone  tablets.  Moses  had 
spent  forty  days  praying  in  the  mountains  when 
he  received  the  Commandments  from  God.  Such 
a  narrative  would  make  little  impression  upon 
children  ;  it  is  too  cold  and  formal.  But  the  same 
facts  can  be  presented  in  a  lively  style  filled  with 
action.  Moses  went  up  a  mountain  called  Sinai ; 
there  he  stayed  all  alone  for  forty  days.  He  was 
praying  there  in  that  wild  place  to  God.  One  day 
there  was  a  great  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning. 
Then  God  appeared  to  Moses  and  gave  him  two 
stone  tablets.  On  them  the  Ten  Command- 
ments were  carved.  In  the  first  case  the  story 
begins  outside  the  ordinary  interests  of  children. 
But  in  the  second  case  it  begins  with  mountains, 
thunder,  lightning.  The  actions  are  emphasized 
to  make  the  story  interesting  to  them. 

The  meaning  of  the  story  told  for  illustration 
must  be  obvious  to  the  children.     It  must  deal 


54  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

with  concrete  facts  from  which  other  concrete 
facts  are  to  be  deduced.  Children  are  Uttle  con- 
cerned with  abstract  ideas.  For  this  reason  great 
care  must  be  taken  in  the  use  of  metaphors  and 
similes.  The  traditional  three-leafed  clover  is 
not  an  apt  figure  to  represent  the  Blessed  Trinity. 
Later,  when  the  child  begins  to  reflect,  he  may 
decide  that  each  divine  person  is  but  a  part  of  God 
as  the  leaves  are  part  of  the  clover.  In  the  same 
manner  the  triangle  may  lead  him  to  conceive  the 
Blessed  Trinity  as  a  figure  composed  of  three  lines. 

The  parables  of  Christ  are  the  ideal  teaching 
stories.  Always  our  divine  Lord  begins  with 
something  that  is  familiar  to  His  hearers.  The 
force  of  these  similes  is  best  shown  perhaps  in  the 
parable  of  the  cockle  and  the  good  seed : 

"The  Kingdom  of  Heaven,"  says  our  Blessed 
Lord,  "is  likened  to  a  man  that  sowed  good  seed  in 
his  field. 

"But  while  men  were  asleep,  his  enemy  came 
and  oversowed  cockle  among  the  wheat  and  went 
his  way. 

"And  when  the  blade  was  sprung  up  and  had 
brought  forth  fruit,  then  appeared  also  the  cockle. 

"And  the  servants  of  the  goodman  of  the  house 
coming,  said  to  him  :  Sir,  didst  thou  not  sow  good 
seed  in  thy  field  ?    Whence,  then,  hath  it  cockle  ? 


STORY-TELLING  AND  LITERATURE  55 

"And  he  said  to  them :  An  enemy  hath  done 
this.  And  the  servants  said  to  him :  Wilt  thou 
that  we  go  and  gather  it  up  ? 

"And  he  said:  No,  lest  perhaps  gathering  up 
the  cockle,  you  root  up  the  wheat  also  together 
with  it. 

"Suffer  both  to  grow  until  the  harvest,  and  in 
the  time  of  the  harvest,  I  will  say  to  the  reapers : 
Gather  up  first  the  cockle,  and  bind  it  in  bundles 
to  burn,  but  the  wheat  gather  ye  into  my  barn  .  .  .'* 

He  then  explains  its  meaning :  "He  that  soweth 
good  seed  is  the  Son  of  Man. 

"And  the  field  is  the  world.  And  the  good  seed 
are  the  children  of  the  kingdom.  And  the  cockle 
are  the  children  of  the  wicked  one. 

"And  the  enemy  that  sowed  them  is  the  devil. 
But  the  harvest  is  the  end  of  the  world.  And  the 
reapers  are  the  angels,"  etc.    (St.  Matt.  13,  24-32.) 

Always  Christ  makes  use  of  those  things  that 
are  familiar  to  His  hearers.  The  old  law  of  casting 
debtors  into  prison  prevailed.  Hence  He  uses 
the  parable  of  the  ungrateful  debtor  to  inculcate 
forgiveness.  The  lost  groat,  the  barren  fig  tree, 
the  ungrateful  husbandmen,  the  laborers  in  the 
vineyard,  the  leaven,  the  mustard  seed,  the 
marriage  feast,  the  fishing  net,  the  priceless  pearl, 
the  pharisee  and  the  publican,  the  prodigal  son. 


56  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

all  were  taken  from  the  life  of  the  people.  Christ 
entered  into  their  concerns  and  led  them  thence 
to  the  consideration  of  the  divine  truth  which  He 
had  brought  from  heaven. 

The  Bible  is  rich  in  stories  and  example.  These 
can  be  used  to  great  advantage  in  teaching  religion. 
The  life  of  Christ  furnishes  the  most  sublime 
examples  for  the  Christian  life.  Christ  taught 
the  world  both  by  His  word  and  by  His  sacred  life. 
The  children  should  become  familiar  with  every 
detail  of  our  divine  Saviour's  life  and  that  of  our 
Blessed  Mother.  These  holy  narratives  should 
be  interspersed  throughout  the  teaching  and  be 
introduced  whenever  the  occasion  permits.  In 
dealing  with  the  life  of  Christ  we  can  describe  the 
holy  places  in  which  He  lived,  suffered,  and  died. 
This  will  add  interest  and  will  furnish  useful 
information  and  stimulate  love  for  the  holy  places. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  early  martyrs.  In 
relating  their  heroic  deeds,  the  catacombs,  the 
churches,  and  monuments  of  Rome  can  be  made 
familiar  to  the  children. 

There  is  also  much  of  utility  to  religious  teaching 
in  literature.  The  great  masterpieces  of  prose 
and  poetry  might  well  be  associated  with  the  idea 
of  religion  in  the  minds  of  the  children.  The  chil- 
dren  should  early  learn   to  know   the  foremost 


STORY-TELLING  AND  LITERATURE  57 

Catholic  works  of  literature.  They  should  learn  in 
their  youth  to  appreciate  the  thought  and  the 
learning  of  the  great  Catholic  masters.  To  this 
end  quotations  and  passages  taken  from  the 
Catholic  authors  will  soon  give  the  children  a  taste 
for  their  works.  Thus  they  will  obtain  a  twofold 
result :  they  will  receive  the  teaching  and  they  will 
also  acquire  a  taste  for  good  reading. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Behavior  and  Religion 

The  child  must  grow  in  religion  with  the  natural 
development  of  his  own  powers.  His  intellectual 
development  in  religion  should  be  procured  by  the 
exercise  of  his  own  intellect.  But  religion  enters 
into  all  the  phases  of  life  and  thus  it  takes  on  a 
practical  character.  Divine  truth  that  has  been 
properly  assimilated  should  manifest  itself  in 
human  conduct.  Thus  the  truths  of  faith  become 
the  guiding  principles  in  men's  lives.  Hence  the 
test  of  religious  training  is  the  conduct  of  the 
children. 

Just  as  the  intellect  must  be  developed  by  the 
exercise  of  its  own  powers,  so  also  must  the  will 
be  developed  in  the  same  manner.  The  will  is  a 
blind  faculty  which  is  guided  by  the  light  of  the 
intellect.  The  intellect  must  furnish  motives  for 
the  will.  Now  there  may  be  many,  even  conflict- 
ing, motives  at  work  in  the  presence  of  a  given 
action.  Always  the  stronger  motives  will  over- 
come the  weaker.  Hence  it  is  the  province  of 
religious  teaching  to  implant  motives  for  virtue 


BEHAVIOR  AND   RELIGION  59 

that  are  stronger  than  the  motives  for  indifference 
and  vice. 

Love  is  an  act  of  the  will ;  a  man  may  be  known 
by  his  affections.  Love  rules  the  world,  because 
it  is  the  expression  of  man's  craving  for  happiness. 
We  love  the  things  that  can  make  us  happy ;  we 
become  their  slaves ;  we  are  ever  ready  to  make 
sacrifices  for  them.  Even  for  unholy  love  men 
sometimes  give  up  all  that  is  dear  to  them  in  this 
world.  For  the  love  of  material  things,  men  will 
endure  dangers  and  hardships.  But  the  highest 
and  holiest  love  of  which  man  is  capable  is  the 
love  of  God.  Akin  to  this  is  Christian  love  for 
our  neighbor  which  is  based  upon  the  love  of 
God. 

To  be  effective  our  teaching  must  lead  the  little 
ones  to  love  God  above  all  things.  This  love 
must  be  so  real  and  so  strong  that  it  will  enable 
them  to  resist  allurements  that  might  turn  them 
from  the  love  of  God.  It  should  impel  them  to 
serve  God  even  at  the  cost  of  great  sacrifices. 
Love  should  prompt  us  to  sacrifice  pleasure  for 
duty,  ease  and  comfort  for  labor  and  weariness. 
It  should  impel  us  to  overcome  the  lower  appetites 
and  seek  spiritual  things.  It  should  enable  us  to 
resist  the  influence  of  environment  and  to  do  the 
will  of  God.     But  love  permeates  the  whole  man; 


60  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

it  is  not  the  result  of  a  cold,  intellectual  calcula- 
tion. It  enters  largely  into  the  domain  of  the 
emotions ;  thus  the  will  is  influenced  by  feeling  in 
choosing  the  object  of  its  affection. 

Religious  teaching,  then,  must  ennoble  the 
intellect,  the  will,  and  the  emotions  if  it  is  to 
succeed  in  making  supernatural  men.  The  true 
Christian  must  live  and  act  from  supernatural 
motives.  "Therefore,  whether  you  eat  or  drink, 
or  whatsoever  else  you  do,"  says  St.  Paul,  "do  all 
to  the  glory  of  God  "  (1  Cor.  10,  31). 

But  a  mere  knowledge  of  divine  truth  will  not 
necessarily  produce  supernatural  motives  in  men's 
lives.  The  truth  must  also  enter  into  the  sphere  of 
feeling.  Religion  must  give  joys,  hopes,  and  con- 
solations that  will  supersede  the  satisfactions  of 
the  mere  natural  man.  Thus  only  can  strong 
motives  for  good  be  engendered  in  men's  hearts. 

Early  in  the  life  of  children  the  choice  must  be 
made  between  good  and  evil,  between  baser 
pleasures  and  spiritual  joy,  between  the  love  of 
material  things  and  the  love  of  God.  At  first 
this  choice  presents  itself  in  the  form  of  simple 
little  problems  of  conduct.  These  are  child  prob- 
lems. It  may  be  the  little  duty  of  saying  grace 
before  satisfying  a  hungry  stomach.  It  may 
be  the  division  of  an  apple  with  a  little  brother  or 


BEHAVIOR  AND  RELIGION  61 

sister.  It  may  be  one  of  a  thousand  other  little 
moral  problems  that  arise  in  child  life  from  day 
to  day.  It  is  the  solution  of  these  problems  that 
will  enable  the  man  of  later  years  to  solve  the 
questions  of  adult  conduct.  These  problems  are 
the  material  upon  which  the  will  of  the  child  must 
be  exercised. 

It  will  profit  the  child  little  to  have  a  big,  strong 
adult  standing  by  to  solve  his  will  problems  for 
him  and  to  thrust  adult  solutions  upon  him. 
This  procedure  will  not  develop  the  will  of  the 
child.  It  were  like  trying  to  teach  a  child  to  walk 
by  carrying  him  about  in  your  arms.  We  cannot 
train  the  will  of  the  child  by  thrusting  our  will 
upon  him.  Our  discipline  must  be  the  rule  of 
love  for  the  child ;  it  should  not  be  the  rule  of 
fear  and  compulsion.  Discipline  should  emanate 
from  the  child,  else  it  has  no  meaning  in  his  life. 
It  should  mean  the  establishment  of  order  in  the 
conduct  of  the  individual  child. 

The  old  idea  of  group  discipline  has  failed 
lamentably.  It  was  similar  to  military  training 
that  fits  men  for  group  action  and  tends  to  unfit 
them  for  the  individual  activities  of  normal  life. 
We  are  training  our  children  for  life  in  which  they 
shall  have  to  struggle  and  labor  as  individuals. 
Each  shall  have  to  travel  its  own  path  of  duty; 


62  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

each  shall  be  responsible  for  its  own  destiny.  Of 
course  those  doomed  to  spend  their  lives  in  peni- 
tentiaries will  be  forced  to  follow  a  routine  dis- 
cipline. But  the  generality  of  men  will  live  as 
responsible  human  beings  guided  by  their  own 
individual  reason  and  will.  Our  training  is  in- 
tended to  fit  children  for  life.  Childhood  is  the 
novitiate  of  adulthood.  If  the  man  is  to  be  able 
to  regulate  his  own  conduct  he  must  learn  to  do 
so  in  childhood.  But  this  he  cannot  learn  except 
by  the  exercise  of  his  own  personal  freedom. 

Astonishment  and  dismay  are  often  expressed 
at  the  large  number  of  those  who  have  been  given 
long  years  of  stern  disciplinary  training  that  go 
astray.  The  product  of  the  orphan  asylum  is 
proverbially  a  failure  both  in  the  moral  and  the 
material  world.  He  has  suffered  from  misguided 
zeal  that  robbed  him  of  his  freedom  and  almost 
his  personality.  Thus  de-personed  he  is  turned 
out  into  the  world  to  battle  for  life  and  salva- 
tion. He  has  never  known  responsibility  for  his 
own  actions.  He  followed  stupidly  in  line  to  his 
meals,  with  a  zealous  soul  to  watch  and  drive  him. 
In  the  same  processional  way  he  was  driven  even 
to  his  prayers  with  his  God,  and  thus  he  marched 
from  morning  until  night. 

There  are  many  schools,  alas !    in  which  this 


BEHAVIOR  AND  RELIGION  63 

tyrannical  routine  still  prevails.  It  is  a  means  of 
establishing  external  order,  or  rather  the  semblance 
of  order.  But  it  evades  the  proper  issue  of  train- 
ing the  children  to  live  their  own  lives.  This  form 
of  discipline  ignores  the  dignity  of  the  children  by 
failing  to  recognize  their  reason  and  their  will  and 
their  own  individual  conscience.  They  are  trained 
as  the  hunter  trains  his  dog  to  follow  his  command. 
But  this  blind  following  of  commands  through  fear 
is  by  no  means  the  noble  virtue  of  obedience.  *'  The 
will  is  the  subject  of  obedience,"  says  St.  Thomas 
(Summa  2-2,  2,  5,  3).  He  who  has  learned  to 
obey  will  follow  the  will  of  his  lawful  superior 
in  his  absence  as  well  as  in  his  presence.  He  will 
have  acquired  the  motives  that  will  prompt  him 
to  obey. 

But  what  are  we  to  do?  If  we  allow  the  chil- 
dren to  act  as  they  please,  pandemonium  will 
ensue.  This  is  the  problem  that  confronts 
those  who  have  repressed  and  smothered  the 
individuality  of  the  children.  Often  they  find  that 
the  longer  the  children  are  in  school  the  more 
difficult  they  are  to  manage.  This  in  itself  should 
be  sufficient  proof  that  their  methods  of  discipline 
are  false. 

Religion  should  convey  three  kinds  of  motives : 
motives  that  will  prompt  the  children  to  observe 


64  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

the  proper  order  in  their  own  Uves ;  motives  for 
maintaining  their  proper  relations  toward  others ; 
and  motives  for  observing  their  proper  relations 
to  God.  We  learn  by  our  mistakes,  says  an  adage. 
Thus,  too,  by  their  mistakes  the  children  must 
learn  to  regulate  their  own  conduct.  If  they  are 
led  to  reflect  upon  their  little  misdemeanors  they 
will  learn  to  avoid  them  and  thus  to  shun  greater 
sins  in  later  life. 

Faith  teaches  us  the  dignity  of  our  own  person ; 
we  are  children  of  God,  endowed  with  an  im- 
mortal soul,  and  destined  for  an  eternal  life  with 
God.  Even  our  body  will  finally  partake  of  super- 
natural life.  All  this  should  fill  us  with  self- 
respect  and  lead  us  to  feel  the  responsibility  of 
our  own  life.  This  self-respect  and  this  feeling 
of  personal  responsibility  should  grow  apace  in 
the  children  with  their  progress  in  religion.  The 
teacher  promotes  the  saving  quality  of  self-respect 
in  the  children  by  respecting  their  dignity  as 
rational  creatures.  She  engenders  the  sense  of 
personal  responsibility  in  them  by  guiding  them 
in  the  work  of  self-mastery. 

Faith  teaches  us  that  God  is  our  common  Father 
and  hence  we  belong  to  a  common  brotherhood. 
We  must  learn  to  love  one  another  as  brothers. 
This  Christian  love  must  fit  men  to  live  as  peaceful 


BEHAVIOR  AND  RELIGION  65 

and  useful  members  of  human  society.  The 
school  should  prepare  the  children  for  a  life  of 
Christian  love.  If  they  practice  the  law  of  Chris- 
tian love  in  their  tender  years  we  may  well  hope 
that  they  will  continue  to  do  so  when  they  have 
grown  to  manhood.  But  they  must  ever  act  from 
their  own  motives. 

The  school  is  a  little  society  that  affords  oppor- 
tunities for  the  practice  of  both  the  human  and  the 
divine  virtues.  Children  who  have  learned  to 
have  consideration  for  others  will  be  orderly  in 
their  groups.  This  order  religious  teaching  should 
impart  to  them.  It  should  also  give  them  kind- 
ness, gentleness,  unselfishness,  generosity,  respect, 
and  gentility.  The  practice  of  these  human  virtues 
will  certainly  produce  order  in  the  classroom.  Add 
to  them  the  divine  virtues  of  faith,  hope,  and 
charity  and  the  four  cardinal  virtues  of  prudence, 
justice,  fortitude,  and  temperance  and  you  have 
the  qualities  that  make  the  true  Christian  char- 
acter. Religion  must  supply  all  the  virtues  that 
form  Christian  character.  But  virtues  are  habits 
of  the  will ;  they  cannot  be  engendered  by  rou- 
tine ;  they  can  be  cultivated  by  free  acts  of  the 
will  alone. 

Faith  teaches  us  our  true  relation  to  God.  He 
is   our   Father ;     we   are   His   children.     We   are 


66  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

destined  to  dwell  with  Him  in  love  for  eternity. 
Here  on  earth  we  serve  Him  and  do  His  will  to 
prove  our  love  for  Him.  God's  love  is  the  motive 
that  should  impel  us  to  live  true  Christian  lives. 
God's  love  should  move  us  to  observe  the  proper 
order  in  our  own  lives,  love  our  neighbor,  and  serve 
God.  But  if  God's  love  is  to  guide  us  in  adult- 
hood, it  must  rule  us  in  childhood.  Thus  religion 
must  furnish  the  motives  for  virtue  in  the  lives 
of  children  as  it  does  in  the  lives  of  men.  Hence 
they  must  be  left  free  to  practice  the  virtues ; 
they  must  learn  to  bear  the  responsibilities  of 
their  own  lives. 

God  gave  men  free  will  to  guide  them  in  their 
lives.  The  teacher,  then,  must  respect  the  natural 
freedom  of  the  children  so  that  they  may  learn  to 
live  by  its  guidance.  If  the  children  are  to  be 
guided  in  their  conduct  by  their  own  will,  the 
teacher  must  assume  a  different  role  from  that 
of  the  strict  master.  She  must  become  the  friend 
and  adviser  of  the  children.  But  to  do  this  she 
must  win  their  love  and  confidence.  "  Obedience," 
says  St.  Thomas,  "proceeds  from  reverence  for 
superiors.  In  respect  to  those  who  are  placed 
over  us  this  reverence  takes  the  form  of  esteem ; 
it  is  filial  love  toward  parents;  and  then  toward 
God  it  is  devotion  which  is  the  principal  act  of 


BEHAVIOR  AND   RELIGION  67 

religion"  (Summa  2-2;  104,  3,  4).  When  the 
children  have  proper  reverence  for  the  teacher, 
they  seek  her  advice,  they  are  eager  to  do  her 
will.     This  is  obedience. 

Parents  and  teacher  should  represent  God's 
love  and  meekness  to  the  children.  They  should 
lead  the  children  to  consider  the  consequences  of 
their  actions.  They  should  present  virtue  to 
them  so  that  it  will  be  acceptable  to  them  in  all 
circumstances.  Unbecoming  actions  in  children 
are  due  almost  entirely  to  their  inconsideration. 
They  must  learn  to  reflect  upon  the  consequences 
before  they  act.  When  children  have  done  some- 
thing wrong  they  should  be  given  an  opportunity 
to  reflect  upon  their  action  and  to  repair,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  injury  done.  Thus,  godlike,  we 
draw  good  from  evil. 

Oh,  the  crimes  that  have  been  committed  against 
the  little  ones  in  the  name  of  discipline !  At  a 
time  when  they  are  just  beginning  their  little 
moral  problems  of  life  they  have  blundered.  Per- 
haps it  was  but  the  exuberant  thoughtlessness 
of  childhood.  But  they  have  been  publicly  dis- 
graced for  their  blunder.  They  have  been  sub- 
jected to  shame  before  their  fellows  and  robbed 
of  their  self-respect,  thrust  violently  into  the  class 
of  the  wicked.     Ah,  yes,  punishment  should  have 


68  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

its  place  in  our  training ;  but  it  should  hold  there 
the  same  position  as  the  jail  and  the  penitentiary 
hold  in  the  larger  society. 

When  a  child  blunders  in  an  arithmetical  prob- 
lem the  good  teacher  makes  some  suggestions  and 
encourages  him  to  try  it  again.  Thus  the  child 
masters  the  art  of  arithmetic.  But  here  he  has 
falsely  solved  a  problem  in  that  all-important 
sphere  of  life ;  he  has  committed  a  moral  blunder  ! 
Is  he  to  be  denied  the  consideration  he  receives 
in  the  field  of  mathematics  .^^  If  so,  how  will  he 
learn  to  master  the  art  of  moral  conduct  ?  No ; 
the  child  must  needs  have  the  sympathy,  help,  and 
encouragement  of  his  teacher  to  enable  him  to 
apply  religion  to  his  actions.  He  must  learn 
prudence  in  his  actions. 

The  teacher  will,  whenever  possible,  talk  to 
the  child  in  private  to  help  him  correct  his  fault. 
If  the  child  will,  then,  in  presence  of  love  and 
sympathy,  by  his  own  promptings  solve  the  prob- 
lem correctly  and  suggest  the  proper  remedy,  all 
is  well.  A  word  of  confidence  and  encouragement 
from  the  teacher  will  suffice.  But  perhaps  the 
erring  child  needs  some  suggestion  to  enable  him 
to  reflect  on  his  fault.  Then  there  are  just  three 
questions  to  be  presented  to  him :  (1)  What  do 
you  think  about  it?     (2)  How  do  you  feel  about 


BEHAVIOR  AND  RELIGION  69 

it?  (3)  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it? 
Ordinarily  the  child  will  find  the  right  response 
to  these  questions.  He  will  then  feel  encouraged 
to  think  that  he  is  worthy  of  such  consideration ; 
he  will  preserve  his  self-respect. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Character  Building 

Character  is  undoubtedly  formed  in  early 
childhood.  A  foundation,  a  framework,  at  least 
is  then  made  upon  which  the  future  edifice  is  to 
rest.  Religious  teaching  must  furnish  men  the 
principles  and  standards  and  convictions  of  life 
which  form  a  Christian  character.  It  must  enable 
them  to  live  and  act  according  to  the  dictates  of 
right  reason  enlightened  by  faith. 

Not  all  things  are  allowed  to  man  upon  earth. 
Reason  tells  him  that  he  must  regulate  his  desires. 
It  is  as  if  he  possessed  a  double  personality;  one 
is  the  man  of  duty ;  the  other  is  the  man  of  pleas- 
ure. *'For  I  know,"  says  St.  Paul,  "that  there 
dwelleth  not  in  me,  that  is  to  say,  in  my  flesh,  that 
which  is  good ;  for  to  will,  is  present  with  me ; 
but  to  accomplish  that  which  is  good,  I  find  not. 
For  the  good  which  I  will,  I  do  not ;  but  the  evil 
which  I  will  not,  that  I  do.  .  .  .  Unhappy  man 
that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of 
this  death?  The  grace  of  God,  by  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord"  (Romans  7,  18-25). 

70 


CHARACTER  BUILDING  71 

Reason  elevates  man ;  the  senses  drag  him  down. 
This  is  the  conflict  that  rages  in  all  humanity. 
History  is  replete  with  sad  evidence  of  this  con- 
flict. Great  and  good  men  have  fallen  in  the 
struggle.  But  we  are  provided  with  the  weapons  ; 
the  rational  man  can  prevail  over  the  animal 
man ;  the  man  of  duty  can  triumph  over  the  man 
of  pleasure. 

The  good  Christian  is  necessarily  an  honorable 
man.  To  be  a  good  Christian  he  must  possess 
all  the  noble  qualities  of  true  manhood.  He 
must  be  a  man  of  character,  guided  by  firm  prin- 
ciples of  conduct.  He  must  have  the  courage 
to  follow  his  standards  of  life  in  every  contingency. 
He  must  be  uncompromising  to  false  opinions 
and  fearless  in  face  of  criticism.  He  must  be  a 
man  of  duty  and  follow  the  path  of  righteousness 
at  every  cost.  He  must  look  upon  life  as  a  time  of 
struggle  and  spiritual  conquest ;  he  must  bear 
in  mind  his  eternal  destiny.  His  great  concern 
upon  earth  must  be  to  do  the  will  of  God. 

Such  indeed  is  the  true  Christian.  He  is  a  man 
with  an  ideal  that  will  fit  him  for  eternity ;  he 
is  an  optimist  who  knows  the  true  meaning  of  life. 
His  soul  is  filled  with  hope  and  peace  to  all  men. 
He  is  generous,  just,  sincere,  and  true  ;  he  is  meek, 
strong,    patient,    and    forbearing.    This    is    the 


72  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

character  which  our  teaching  must  build  up  in 
God's  Httle  ones.  They  must  learn  the  proper 
aims  and  purposes  of  life ;  they  must  learn  to  live 
true  Christian  lives. 

The  children  must,  from  the  beginning,  learn 
to  work  with  a  purpose.  They  must  learn  to 
think  and  to  exercise  their  own  personal  liberty 
according  to  the  true  principles  of  life.  The  child 
must  conceive  his  own  purposes ;  he  must  learn 
to  do  things  not  as  tasks,  but  for  the  good  that  will 
result  therefrom ;  he  must  act  from  motives  for 
doing  something  good  and  useful. 

There  is  in  children,  as  in  men,  a  desire  for 
mastery.  This  is  perhaps  the  manifestation  of 
man's  natural  tendency  to  seek  his  own  perfection. 
This  desire  for  mastery,  for  conquest,  for  achieve- 
ment must  perforce  find  satisfaction.  If  a  child 
fail  to  find  legitimate  satisfaction  for  this  desire 
he  will  generally  seek  other  satisfaction.  Thus 
if  he  fails  in  his  educational  tasks  he  may  satisfy 
his  craving  for  mastery  by  creating  disturbance. 
If  he  does  not  succeed  in  making  intellectual  and 
moral  conquests  he  is  all  too  apt  to  seek  them  in 
baser  things.  Herein  is  manifested  a  striking 
moral  phenomenon  that  is  often  manifested  in  life. 
Often  when  men  are  confronted  with  failure,  they 
go  on  a  debauch.    Thus  they  seek  to  make  con- 


CHARACTER  BUILDING  73 

quests  in  baser  levels  when  they  have  failed  in 
higher  things. 

When  a  child  solves  a  problem  for  himself  his 
desire  for  mastery  is,  to  that  extent,  satisfied. 
Thus  this  natural  ambition  is  a  force  that  must  be 
directed  for  good.  Every  conquest  of  the  child 
increases  his  courage  and  prepares  him  for  other 
conquests.  The  child  is  indeed  struggling  for 
superiority ;  but  this  is  not  necessarily  a  mani- 
festation of  pride.  If  properly  regulated  it  is 
zeal  for  good,  but  if  it  be  neglected  it  may  readily 
become  pride. 

Pride  implies  an  undue  struggle  for  excellence ; 
it  is  defined  as  undue  esteem  for  our  own  excellence. 
There  is  in  man  a  natural  desire  to  rise  to  higher 
things.  It  was  upon  this  that  the  serpent  based 
his  argument:  "You  shall  be  as  gods"  (Genesis, 
3,  5).  "It  is  still  the  temptation  of  every  crea- 
ture," says  Dupanloup,  "to  exalt  himself,  to  be 
intoxicated  with  his  own  excellence,  to  rise,  to 
rise  always  in  his  mind,  in  his  heart,  in  his  life ; 
this  is  the  dream  of  pride  in  every  soul"  (L'Enfant, 
p.  216).  But  St.  Thomas  says:  "Humility  by 
which  we  debase  ourselves  is  not  opposed  to 
magnanimity  which  impels  the  mind  to  great 
things ;  for  both  belong  to  right  reason.  Mag- 
nanimity  is   a   virtue   because  it   is   a  tendency 


74  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

to  the  highest  things  through  the  exercise  of  right 
reason"  (Summa  2-2,  129,  3,  4). 

This  quahty  in  the  child  is  a  great  asset  for  the 
teacher;  but  it  must  be  utiHzed,  else  it  will  turn 
to  evil.  To  repress  this  craving  for  excellence 
is  to  injure  the  child,  impede  his  development, 
and  perhaps  impel  him  to  seek  lower  forms  of 
gratification.  Repressions  are  generally  injurious 
to  the  child.  But  this  does  not  mean  that  we  are 
to  leave  the  children  to  their  own  devices.  We 
must  elevate,  direct,  and  cultivate  their  power 
and  tendencies.  We  must  furnish  them  the 
proper  materials  for  the  exercise  of  their  faculties 
and  we  must  enable  them  to  achieve  the  proper 
conquests  for  their  cravings.  This  inner  craving 
for  power  and  superiority  produces  a  sense  of 
inferiority  when  it  fails  in  its  struggle.  This 
sense  of  inferiority  sometimes  causes  the  child  to 
become  a  dullard  or  a  lazy  fellow. 

In  the  formation  of  his  character  the  child  must 
regulate  his  appetites  and  his  emotions ;  he  must 
subjugate  them  to  his  higher  faculties.  Eleven 
appetites  are  enumerated  in  man.  They  are 
love,  hate,  desire,  repugnance,  joy,  sadness,  hope, 
despair,  courage,  boldness,  and  fear.  But  of  all 
these  love  is  the  strongest.  It  is  a  passive  force 
that  is  attracted  by  the  object  of  its  affection.     It 


CHARACTER  BUILDING  75 

is  for  this  reason  that  love  must  be  the  basis  of 
Christian  character,  and  God  must  be  the  object 
of  that  love. 

The  fruits  of  love  are  seven :  union  with  the 
beloved,  clinging  together,  exaltation,  zeal  in 
seeking  the  good  of  the  beloved,  joy  in  the  presence 
of  the  beloved,  sadness  in  his  absence,  and  labor 
and  activity  for  the  sake  of  the  beloved.  Our 
teaching  must  purify  the  love  of  the  children, 
make  them  seek  only  that  which  is  good  and 
noble.  They  must  learn  so  to  love  God  that  all 
their  desires  will  tend  to  Him.  Their  joy  and 
their  hope  will  be  to  be  united  with  Him.  But 
to  possess  this  strong  love  they  must  hate  all  that 
can  separate  them  from  God.  They  must  be  bold 
and  courageous  in  the  presence  of  dangers  that 
would  rob  them  of  their  beloved.  They  must 
flee  from  the  temptations  that  might  corrupt 
their  love.  This  kind  of  love  cannot  be  communi- 
cated by  words ;  it  must  grow  with  life ;  it  must 
be  deeply  planted  in  the  hearts  of  the  little  ones 
and  fostered  with  care. 

The  children  must  be  trained  in  courage.  They 
must  know  how  to  avoid  human  respect  and 
cowardice ;  they  must  learn  to  bear  scorn  and 
ridicule  without  faltering ;  they  must  learn  to 
undergo  hardships  and  trials  without  complain- 


76  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

ing ;  they  must  learn  self-abnegation  and  sacrifice. 
To  inculcate  these  qualities  in  the  young  is  an 
essential  part  of  religious  training.  In  childhood 
there  are  opportunities  for  the  exercise  of  these 
qualities.     These  must  be  utilized. 

These  problems  of  life  must,  in  the  course  of 
our  teaching,  be  brought  to  the  consideration  of 
the  children.  This  will  enable  them  to  meet 
them  with  determination  and  conviction.  The 
unthinking  sometimes  scoff  at  virtue,  and  ridicule 
religious  practices.  The  children  should  learn  to 
take  the  proper  attitude  toward  these  scoffers. 
They  should  be  led  to  reflect  upon  the  course 
they  will  follow  when  these  situations  present 
themselves.  They  must  understand  the  nobility 
of  the  courage  necessary  to  withstand  ridicule  for 
the  sake  of  duty.  The  children  must  also  learn 
to  suffer  persecution  for  justice,  honor,  and 
righteousness.  They  must  learn  to  forego  ease 
and  pleasure  for  the  service  of  God  and  their 
neighbor.  For  this  they  must  reflect  upon  the 
right  attitude  to  assume  when  such  situations 
arise.  They  must  be  immune  from  the  seduc- 
tions of  evil  companions ;  they  must  learn  how  to 
resist  the  "crowd."  This  often  requires  great 
strength  of  character.  They  must  have  firm 
principles  that  will  enable  them  to  preserve  their 


CHARACTER  BUILDING  77 

honor  and  their  purity  even  when  all  the  world 
laughs  at  them. 

But  these  qualities  of  soul  can  be  engendered 
only  by  deep  religious  convictions  and  fervent 
love  for  God.  These  convictions  must  rest  upon 
Christian  ideals.  In  a  sense  every  one  creates 
his  future  self  by  an  ideal  which  he  forms  in  his 
mind.  We  are  what  we  wish  to  be.  The  children 
must  be  led  to  form  ideals  of  their  future  selves. 
But  to  form  true  ideals  requires  wisdom  and 
prudence.  Wisdom  directs  us  in  the  selection  of 
our  last  end ;  prudence  guides  us  in  the  choice  of 
the  means  to  attain  it. 

Successful  men  have  an  aim  in  life  and  strive 
with  all  their  might  to  attain  it.  If  a  man  selects 
a  good  aim,  he  is  wise ;  if  he  uses  the  proper  means 
to  attain  it,  he  is  prudent.  If  he  would  fulfill  his 
purpose  he  must  make  all  things  else  subservient 
to  his  aim  in  life.  It  is  thus  in  the  Christian  life ; 
all  concerns  of  life  must  be  made  contribute  to 
the  attainment  of  eternal  life.  Wisdom  should 
show  man  that  God  is  his  last  end,  and  all  things 
of  earth  are  but  means  to  attain  God. 

Thus  in  the  formation  of  character  the  chil- 
dren must  learn  to  know  the  due  proportion  of 
things.  They  must  know  how  to  compare  the 
temporal    with    the    eternal.     They    must    know 


78  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

the  relative  values  of  material  and  spiritual 
things.  They  must  know  the  superiority  of  the 
supernatural  to  the  natural.  The  children  must 
learn  to  reflect,  from  the  beginning,  upon  the  true 
purposes  of  life.  They  must  learn  to  conceive 
life  as  a  whole  in  its  relation  to  themselves,  to  their 
neighbor,  and  to  God.  To  do  all  this  the  judg- 
ment of  the  children  must  be  trained.  They 
must  become  men  of  thought  and  conviction. 
Our  teaching  should  aim  at  this  particularly, 
to  train  the  children  in  the  faculty  of  thought  and 
reflection.  The  mind  must  learn  to  weigh  partic- 
ular good  in  its  relation  to  universal  good. 

Christian  life  is  composed  of  many  moral  de- 
cisions. Our  work  is  to  prepare  the  children  to 
make  the  proper  decisions.  To  do  this  we  lead 
them  to  make  these  decisions  over  and  over  again 
in  their  minds  and  hearts  and  in  practice.  We 
present  the  choice  to  them  by  our  teaching; 
for  we  know  that  upon  their  power  to  decide  rests 
their  future  destiny. 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Rule  of  Positives 

We  are  all  more  or  less  influenced  by  suggestion. 
Hints,  intimations,  indirect  associations,  and  the 
like  generally  produce  a  ready  response  in  us. 
Even  the  facial  expression  and  the  deportment 
of  others  suggest  much  meaning  to  us.  If  a  man 
intimates,  even  vaguely,  that  he  recognizes  good 
qualities  in  us,  we  are  pleased.  Thus,  for  in- 
stance, one  man  tells  another  that  he  should  have 
been  appointed  to  a  certain  high  and  responsible 
position.  The  intimation  is  immediately  accepted 
by  the  second ;  he  feels  complimented  by  the  im- 
plied appreciation  of  his  ability.  In  the  same 
manner  negative  suggestion  produces  the  opposite 
result.  Thus  a  man  would  be  insulted  if  some  one 
asked  him  whether  he  had  stolen  a  missing  article. 
The  questioner  may  then  explain  as  he  will  that 
he  did  not  mean  to  insult  him ;  the  fact  remains 
that  he  intimated  the  possibility  of  his  being  a 
thief. 

Indirect  suggestion  produces  a  deep  impres- 
sion upon  men's  minds.     Merely  to  name  a  man  in 

79 


80  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

a  category  with  great  and  good  men  is  often  the 
highest  praise  that  can  be  bestowed  upon  him. 
And  even  the  most  humble  and  sincere  are  in- 
fluenced by  the  imputation  of  good.  On  the  other 
hand  the  suggestion  of  evil  unconsciously  produces 
its  negative  effect  upon  the  mind.  The  opinions 
of  others  irresistibly  influence  our  thought  and 
our  actions.  It  is  easier  for  us  to  retain  self- 
respect  when  others  think  well  of  us.  We  are 
likewise  impelled  to  imitate  the  good  qualities 
that  others  ascribe  to  us.  Naturally  these  sug- 
gestions are  more  effectual  in  proportion  as  they 
seem  to  be  sincere  and  plausible.  The  importance 
of  suggestion  has  long  been  recognized  in  edu- 
cational work.  Children,  more  than  adults, 
readily  respond  to  suggestion.  It  is  upon  this 
phenomenon  that  we  base  our  "Rule  of  Positives." 
We  are  all  to  some  degree  creatures  of  environ- 
ment ;  we  naturally  acquire  certain  characteristics 
of  the  group  in  which  we  live.  This  undisputed 
fact  indicates  that  the  actions  and  converse 
of  our  associates  deposit  something  in  our  in- 
dividuality. It  would  seem  that  whatever  passes 
into  the  human  mind  leaves  a  trace  behind.  An 
impression,  perhaps  an  indelible  impression,  has 
been  left  there.  These  impressions,  whatever 
they  are,  play  an  important  part  in  the  formation 


THE  RULE  OF  POSITIVES  81 

of  character.  They  are,  to  a  great  extent,  the 
materials  from  which  the  personahty  of  the  child 
is  built.  Impressions  vary  in  intensity  according 
to  the  personal  influence  of  him  who  produces 
them.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  children  manifest 
in  their  lives,  to  a  striking  degree,  the  character- 
istics of  their  parents.  But,  after  parents,  teachers 
have  perhaps  the  greatest  personal  influence  upon 
children.  Hence  it  is  of  prime  importance  for 
teachers  to  learn  to  make  the  proper  impression 
upon  the  minds  of  the  children  in  all  their  teaching. 

It  may  be  permissible  to  categorize  impres- 
sions in  two  classes,  the  one  negative,  the  other 
positive.  To  negative  impressions  belong  all  kinds 
of  repressions  and  inhibitions.  This  is  the  store- 
house of  all  the  things  which  children  are  "not 
to  do,"  "not  to  think,"  "not  to  say";  it  is  the 
infinite  realm  of  "negatives."  To  the  positive 
suggestions  belong  all  forms  of  encouragement  and 
cooperation.  Here  in  some  mysterious  manner 
is  stored  the  sum  total  of  all  that  is  constructive 
in  character. 

The  problems  of  life  resolve  themselves  into 
this  simple  question :  What  am  I  to  do  ?  Our 
teaching  should  help  the  children  answer  this 
question  whenever  it  presents  itself.  Now,  com- 
pared with  the  definite  thing  which  we  should  do, 


82  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

in  a  given  case,  there  are  innumerable  things 
which  we  should  not  do.  If  I  am  to  go  to  church  on 
Sunday  there  are  myriads  of  places  to  which  I 
cannot  go  at  the  same  time.  If  you  want  me  to  be 
silent  why  ask  me  to  stop  talking;  for  there  are 
many  other  ways  in  which  I  may  break  silence. 
Thus  the  distinction  between  positive  and  negative 
teaching  becomes  apparent.  If  you  want  order 
in  the  classroom,  tell  the  children  your  wish.  If 
you  say:  "Stop  your  noise,"  you  fail  to  suggest 
the  idea  of  order.  If  you  wish  the  children  to  be 
truthful  talk  to  them  about  truthfulness;  false- 
hood is  another  matter. 

You  cannot  teach  virtue,  purity,  and  love  by 
dealing  with  vice,  impurity,  and  hatred.  Truth, 
goodness,  virtue,  love,  and  all  that  is  good  and 
ennobling  are  positive.  But  error,  vice,  evil,  and 
the  like  are  negative.  If  the  positive  truth  is 
properly  impressed  upon  the  mind  and  heart  of 
the  child,  the  negative  error  will  be  thereby  ex- 
cluded. If  a  child  learns  to  solve  his  moral  prob- 
lems correctly  he  need  not  study  all  the  erroneous 
solutions  at  which  it  is  possible  to  arrive. 

To  enable  the  child  to  solve  his  problems 
properly,  we  must  assist  him  to  acquire  the  rules 
and  principles  that  will  enable  him  to  do  so. 
Thus,  for   example,  we  would  train  the  child  to 


THE  RULE  OF  POSITIVES  83 

honesty.  First,  he  must  learn  the  meaning  of 
honesty ;  he  must  learn  that  it  consists  in  respect- 
ing the  rights  of  others.  Then  there  must  be 
engendered  in  him  motives  that  will  impel  him  to 
respect  the  rights  of  others.  Furthermore  he 
must  know  how  to  apply  the  knowledge  of  duty 
to  his  own  life  so  that  his  motives  may  operate. 
In  other  words,  he  must  know  how  to  apply  the 
law  of  honesty  to  every  situation  that  can  arise  in 
his  life.  He  must,  for  instance,  know  what  to 
do  with  something  that  he  has  found.  He  must 
understand  the  rights  of  others  to  things  that 
seem  to  be  useless  to  them.  He  must  know  the 
rule  of  honesty  in  his  games,  his  study,  and  his 
home  life.  These  problems  he  must  solve  with 
the  aid  of  our  teaching. 

It  is  in  this  manner  that  he  mastered  the 
rules  of  addition  in  arithmetic.  He  learned  to 
add  the  great  problems  by  adding  correctly  the 
simple  problems,  not  by  attempting  to  learn  all 
the  possible  errors  that  he  could  commit.  It  is 
true  that  the  children  must  be  warned  against 
vice.  In  the  present  example,  they  must  be 
taught  to  avoid  stealing,  cheating,  extortion, 
and  all  injustice.  But  even  here  we  may  observe 
the  "rule  of  positives." 

In  every  proposition  there  is  a  verb-content 


84  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

which  distinguishes  it.  For  example:  "John 
Brown  did  not  go  to  the  theater  to-day."  Here 
go  to  theater  is  the  verb-content  of  the  sentence. 
This  is  the  essence  of  the  expression ;  the  other 
ideas,  such  as  John  Brown,  not,  to-day,  are  simply 
grouped  about  this  main  idea.  It  is  the  main 
idea  or  verb-content  that  ordinarily  makes  the 
deepest  impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  hearer. 
This  fact  will  often  manifest  itself.  For  instance, 
your  friend,  in  conversation,  tells  you  that  a 
certain  person  (in  whom  you  are  not  particularly 
interested)  was  drowned  at  the  bathing  beach. 
A  few  days  later  you  hear  mention  of  a  drowning 
at  that  particular  beach,  you  remember  the  was 
drowned  but  you  cannot  recall  the  person's 
name. 

Again,  you  hear  that  a  person  was  not  present 
on  a  certain  occasion.  You  remember  the  expres- 
sion, but  you  are  not  sure  whether  or  not  the  person 
was  present.  This  last  example  leads  to  the  con- 
sideration of  propositions  and  their  contradictories. 
Thus,  You  must  not  tell  lies  and  you  must  tell  lies 
are  two  forms  of  the  same  proposition ;  one  is 
negative ;  the  other  is  positive.  They  are  dis- 
tinguished solely  by  the  negative  particle.  The 
impression  made  upon  the  mind  by  these  two 
expressions   is  apt   to   be  practically   the   same. 


THE  RULE  OF   POSITIVES  85 

The  main  idea  of  the  sentence  is  lying.  In  the 
negative  proposition  the  insinuation  of  the  ex- 
pression is  to  lie  with  an  inhibition  added  thereto. 
In  the  mental  store  of  the  child  it  will  be  classified 
with  falsehood.  The  "not"  will  be  classified  with 
repressions  and  inhibitions. 

Examples  of  this  psychological  phenomenon  are 
frequent  in  everyday  life.  The  mother  goes  out 
and  leaves  her  children  alone.  She  says  as  a 
parting  word :  "Now,  don't  go  into  the  pantry," 
"don't  play  with  the  water  "  "don't  hang  out 
the  window."  Later  she  says  to  her  husband  :  "I 
don't  know  what  to  do  with  those  children ;  they 
always  do  the  very  thing  I  tell  them  not  to  do." 
Poor,  deluded  mother !  She  does  not  realize  that 
she  suggested  to  the  children  the  "mischief"  that 
they  did.  Had  she  told  her  children  to  behave 
nicely  while  she  was  gone,  to  remain  like  good 
children  in  the  proper  place,  her  complaint  would 
perhaps  have  been  unnecessary. 

This  should  cause  serious  reflection  especially 
in  the  matter  of  teaching  purity  to  the  children. 
Whatever  else  be  said,  it  is  purity  that  we  must 
inculcate.  No  amount  of  disquisition  upon  im- 
purity will  effect  this.  On  the  contrary,  it  may 
easily  contribute  to  the  moral  ruin  of  the  children. 
It  is  true  we  must  teach  the  children  the  heinous- 


86  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

ness  of  sin.  To  do  this  we  must  mention  certain 
sins  to  which  they  will  be  exposed.  But  these 
we  treat  in  a  positive  manner.  The  impression 
made  by  these  two  propositions  may  be  quite 
different :  Do  not  curse  and  keep  from  cursing  (or 
avoid  cursing).  In  one  the  verb-content  is 
"curse";  in  the  other  it  is  the  whole  sentence: 
keep  from  cursing.  It  is  of  importance  to  observe 
this  rule  when  presenting  these  evils  to  the  mind  of 
children. 

The  individuality  or  personality  or  character 
of  the  child  is  a  real  entity.  It  is  composed  of  all 
the  ideas,  sentiments,  and  expressions  that  have 
come  to  the  child.  It  is  molded  largely  by  en- 
vironmental influences.  Children  are  prone  to 
assume  the  characteristics  that  are  attributed  to 
them.  This  they  do,  not  by  reflection,  but  in- 
tuitively. Thus  you  will  often  find  that  the  young 
rowdy  is  simply  responding  to  the  ideas  which 
his  parents  and  teachers  have  formed  of  him. 
Likewise  will  the  attribution  of  good  to  the  child 
have  a  salutary  effect  upon  him. 

We  know  that  in  strict  justice  we  are  bound  to 
assume  that  others  are  prompted  in  their  actions 
by  good  motives  —  until  the  contrary  has  been 
clearly  proved.  Needless  to  say  the  teacher 
should  accord  this  justice  to  the  children.     But  the 


THE  RULE  OF  POSITIVES  87 

principle  should  extend  further  than  the  partic- 
ular actions  of  the  children.  In  dealing  generally 
with  good  and  evil,  the  good  should  always  be 
ascribed,  by  direct  address,  to  the  children,  while 
the  evil  should  be  mentioned  in  the  impersonal. 

Thus  we  would  say  to  the  children :  Why  do 
you  love  God  ?  Why  do  you  keep  the  Command- 
ments ^  Why  do  you  do  good  to  others  ^  Why  do 
you  obey  your  parents?  But  if  there  is  question 
of  evil  and  vice,  we  would  ask:  "Why  do  some 
people  curse  and  swear  .^^  Why  do  they  break 
the  Commandments?  Why  do  some  children 
disobey  their  parents?"  In  this  manner  we  show 
due  consideration  for  the  children ;  we  would  not, 
by  the  remotest  suggestion,  impute  even  the  possi- 
bility of  evil  to  them. 

To  tell  children  they  must  not  steal,  curse  and 
swear,  lie,  cheat,  deceive,  is  to  insult  them.  It 
is  to  impute  these  evils  to  them.  Adults  would 
resent  the  implication  if  they  were  told  not  to  do 
these  things.  For,  to  tell  a  person  not  to  do  a 
thing  implies  that  he  might  otherwise  do  it.  If 
I  left  some  one  alone  in  my  room,  and  said  on 
departing:  "Do  not  steal  anything  while  I  am 
gone,"  he  would  be  indignant,  and  rightly  so. 

Children  have  even  tenderer  sensibilities  than 
adults.     Hence    delicacy    must    be    observed    in 


88  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

mentioning  evil  to  them.  Among  cultured  people, 
it  is  considered  impolite  to  use  the  direct  form 
of  address  in  exemplifying  hypothetical  evil.  To 
say  in  good  company  :  "Now,  Mr.  X,  if  you  were 
caught  stealing,  what  would  you  do?"  would  be 
considered  highly  improper.  The  same  consider- 
ation is  due  children,  but  for  a  greater  reason.  We 
must  guard  them  from  the  slightest  suggestion  of 
evil ;  we  must  not  imply  its  possibility  in  their 
lives. 

We  must  assume  that  the  child  wishes  to  be 
good.  If  he  commits  a  fault  we  must  give  him 
the  benefit  of  the  doubt ;  we  must  make  it  as 
easy  as  possible  for  him  to  repair  the  evil ;  we  must 
do  all  within  our  power  to  preserve  his  self-respect. 
To  do  this  we  must  make  the  child  feel  that  he  is 
still  in  the  class  of  good  children.  We  must  instill 
hope  and  courage  into  him  by  our  love  and  sym- 
pathy. We  must  help  him  form  the  proper  judg- 
ment on  the  matter  so  that  he  can  avoid  the 
fault  in  the  future. 

But  suggestion  is  transmitted  not  only  by  words 
but  also  by  looks  and  actions.  Facial  expression 
is  a  strong  conveyor  of  impressions.  The  children 
readily  distinguish  the  "accusing  face"  from 
the  approving  and  sympathetic  face.  The  chil- 
dren can  easily  see  by  the  actions  of  the  teacher 


THE  RULE   OF  POSITIVES  89 

whether  or  not  they  are  trusted.  Not  only  our 
teaching  but  our  attitude  should  also  be  positive. 

But  it  may  be  objected  that  seven  of  the  ten 
Commandments  are  given  in  the  negative  form. 
It  is  true,  but  the  Commandments  were  given, 
in  their  present  form,  for  the  vindictive  law  of 
fear.  However,  Christ  changed  their  form,  and 
suited  them  to  the  law  of  love.  According  to 
His  teaching,  the  two  Commandments  of  love 
embrace  the  whole  law  and  the  prophets. 

The  human  mind  craves  positive  teaching. 
Truth  is  the  proper  object  of  our  intellect;  and 
truth  is  positive.  It  is  the  positive  knowledge 
of  the  mind  that  goes  to  make  up  the  intellectual 
life  of  men.  Just  so  must  we  conceive  the  religious 
life  of  man ;  divine  truth  must  operate  in  the  man 
and  enable  him  to  lead  a  true  Christian  life.  To 
this  end  his  mind  and  heart  must  be  filled  with 
the  true,  the  good,  and  the  beautiful.  All  these 
belong  to  the  order  of  positives.  His  whole  life 
must  be  constructed  upon  clearly  defined  prin- 
ciples. He  must  be  able  always  to  distinguish 
good  and  strip  it  of  all  that  belongs  to  evil.  He 
must  be  so  familiar  with  truth  that  he  will  never 
confound  it  with  error. 

Thus  by  following  the  rule  of  positives  we 
may  hope  to  build  up  in  the  soul  of  the  child 


90  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

a  tower  of  strength.  We  niay  hope  to  prepare 
him  for  the  struggles  of  Ufe.  His  soul  thus 
becomes  a  depository  of  truth  and  virtue.  His 
character  is  built  upon  the  firm  basis  of  religion 
and  morality. 


CHAPTER  X 

Class  Procedure  in  Religion 

Always  greet  the  children  cheerfully  on  enter- 
ing the  class,  or  when  they  come  into  your  pres- 
ence. It  is  well  even  to  anticipate  their  greeting ; 
for  a  pleasant  greeting  from  the  teacher  always 
produces  a  good  impression  on  the  children.  To 
let  them  understand  by  word  or  manner  that  you 
expect  a  greeting  from  them  is  implicitly  asserting 
your  superiority.  It  belongs  to  the  old  "stand- 
ing-on-dignity "  system  which  almost  inevitably 
creates  a  gulf  between  teacher  and  child. 

The  teacher  should  acquire  the  habit  of  wearing 
a  pleasing  expression  of  countenance.  In  business 
the  smile  is  said  to  be  often  commercialized. 
Assuredly  to  the  teacher  the  smiling  face  has  a  real 
educational  value.  Let  the  children  feel  that  you 
are  glad  to  be  with  them,  and  be  so.  Indeed  for 
one  who  has  the  proper  disposition,  and  the  proper 
attitude  toward  life,  it  is  natural  to  be  happy 
with  the  little  ones.  True  love  and  sympathy 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher  will  unfailingly  produce 
the  "open  mind"  in  the  children  and  prepare  their 

91 


92  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

hearts  for  her  teaching.  Human  sympathy  should 
engender  in  the  teacher  the  finest  consideration 
for  the  children.  It  is  with  this  disposition 
she  should  enter  upon  the  class  work. 

The  class  work  should  always  begin  with  a 
little  prayer  to  invoke  God's  blessing  both  upon 
child  and  teacher.  But  it  will  also  prepare  the 
minds  of  the  children  and  dispose  them  for  the 
consideration  of  religion.  There  should  also  be 
a  prayer  at  the  end  of  the  period.  This  should 
always  take  the  form  of  thanksgiving;  for  then 
the  minds  of  the  children  are  fresh  from  the  con- 
sideration of  God's  bounty  and  love. 

Needless  to  say,  the  conscientious  teacher  will 
always  prepare  the  subject  matter  to  be  treated. 
She  will  not  only  study  the  truth  that  is  to  be  con- 
sidered, but  she  will  meditate  upon  it  so  as  bet- 
ter to  comprehend  its  meaning.  She  will  famil- 
iarize herself  with  all  the  materials  that  bear 
upon  the  subject.  Then,  in  an  especial  manner, 
she  will  reflect  upon  the  point  of  contact  between 
the  truth  in  question  and  the  lives  of  the  children. 

Besides  preparing  her  materials,  the  teacher 
will  also  prepare  herself  for  her  class  work. 
She  would  do  well,  before  entering  the  classroom, 
to  reflect  upon  the  aims  of  her  teaching  and  the 
method  she  is  to  follow.     Her  aim  is  to  develop 


CLASS  PROCEDURE  IN  RELIGION  93 

the  child  in  rehgion.  This  she  will  do  best  by- 
producing  the  greatest  possible  mental  activity 
on  the  part  of  the  children.  She  should  bear  in 
mind  that  in  the  class  work  the  children  are  the 
active  principle  while  she  is  the  passive  principle. 
With  this  conviction  in  mind  she  will  give  free 
scope  to  the  child  mind,  veiling  her  own  activity 
as  much  as  possible.  To  accomplish  this,  she 
must  know  how  to  "draw  out"  and  direct  the 
children  without  seeming  to  be  too  officious. 

The  class  work  should  take  on  the  nature  of  a 
conversation.  But  the  teacher  should  be  careful 
to  keep  from  monopolizing  the  conversation.  She 
should  show  the  same  consideration  for  the  chil- 
dren in  this  as  she  would  for  the  most  cultivated 
adults.  The  children  always  respond  touchingly 
to  this  display  of  gentility  and  culture. 

In  appearance,  at  least,  the  teacher  can  accord 
the  children  the  satisfaction  of  selecting  the  subject 
for  discussion.  Then  with  a  little  tact,  she  can 
lead  them  imperceptibly  to  the  subject  which  she 
has  in  mind  for  them.  She  may  say:  "Well, 
children,  what  are  you  going  to  tell  me  to-day.'^" 
or  "What  are  you  going  to  talk  about  to-day?'* 
Invariably  they  will  suggest  the  subject  discussed 
the  previous  day.  This  will  be  a  proof  for  the 
teacher  that  the  work  done  then  interested  them 


94  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

and  that  it  produced  results.  It  will  also  permit 
a  review  of  the  previous  day's  work.  From  the 
subject  of  yesterday  they  will  pass  logically  to 
the  subject  of  to-day.  Sometimes,  however,  they 
will  suggest  a  topic  of  conversation  that  does  not 
seem  to  bear  directly  upon  the  matter  to  be 
discussed. 

On  a  certain  occasion  it  was  asked  of  a  class 
what  they  chose  to  talk  about.  The  day  before 
they  had  talked  about  God's  loving  care  for  us. 
But  during  the  night  there  was  a  heavy  fall  of 
snow.  Now  the  housetops,  the  streets,  the  window 
sills  were  covered  with  the  beautiful  snow.  So  in 
response  to  the  question,  a  dozen  voices  called 
out  almost  in  unison:  "The  snow,  the  snow." 
And  in  fact  the  snow  became  the  subject  of  con- 
versation. It  did  not  take  the  children  long  to 
show  that  the  snow  is  a  manifestation  of  God's 
love  for  us. 

It  is  the  work  of  the  teacher  to  direct  the  child 
to  the  problem  and  then  help  him  solve  it.  Thus 
if  the  teacher  asks :  "Who  made  the  sun.^*"  she  is 
communicating  a  problem  to  the  children.  The 
children  readily  solve  it  by  responding:  "God 
made  the  sun."  It  is  in  this  manner  that  we  would 
train  the  children  to  solve  the  "problems"  of 
religion.     In   the   questioning  method   the   ques- 


CLASS  PROCEDURE   IN  RELIGION  95 

tion  is  the  problem  which  has  been  fitted,  as  it 
were,  to  the  httleness  of  the  child  mind.  The 
child's  answer  is  the  solution  to  the  problem. 

In  the  beginning,  the  children  are  inclined  to 
answer  with  as  few  words  as  possible.  For  in- 
stance, you  ask  who  made  the  stars.  The  response 
is:  "God."  To  lead  them  to  give  a  complete 
answer  is  a  simple  matter.  You  might  say : 
"All  right,  now  say  it  all."  If  they  say:  "God 
made  the  stars,"  well  and  good.  If  not,  you  might 
say:  "Now  you  tell  me  who  made  the  stars." 
Or:  "Say  it  all."  This,  of  course,  refers  to  little 
children  who  are  just  beginning.  To  older 
children  whose  vocabulary  has  been  sufficiently 
developed  it  is  enough  to  say  a  few  times  to  them  : 
"Children,  I  would  be  glad  if  you  always  gave  me 
a  complete  answer,  repeating  the  question  in  the 
answer."  When,  then,  such  an  answer  is  given 
they  can  be  told:  "That  is  fine,"  or,  "That  is 
the  way  I  like  to  hear  you  say  it." 

It  is  well  to  obtain  expression  from  the  individual 
child.  When  the  children  respond  in  concert 
some  children  will  generally  lag  far  enough  behind 
to  echo  the  words  of  the  others.  Yet  concert 
work  is  useful  at  times  to  enable  the  children  to 
think  together  and  give  free  expression  to  their 
ideas. 


96  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Undoubtedly  the  questioning  method  is  the 
simplest  and  the  most  expeditious  means  of 
leading  the  children  to  reflect  upon  the  problems 
of  religion.  Yet  it  should  not  be  followed  too 
closely.  It  does  not  always  permit  the  children  to 
do  their  full  portion  of  the  work.  In  this  method 
the  teacher  presents  the  problems  to  them. 
Naturally,  it  would  be  better  if  the  children  not 
only  solved  the  problems  but  also  found  them. 
It  is,  therefore,  always  preferable  to  allow  the 
children  to  discover  their  own  problems  whenever 
this  is  possible. 

This  may  sometimes  be  effected  by  simply  sug- 
gesting ideas  to  their  minds.  For  example  :  "  Now, 
children,  perhaps  you  would  like  to  tell  me  about 
the  sun,  the  moon,  the  plants,  or  something  of  that 
kind."  If  they  do  not  take  the  suggestion,  it 
might  be  added  :  "  I  am  sure  you  can  tell  me  many 
things  that  God  had  in  mind  when  He  made  those 
things."  Again  it  might  be  suggested  :  "Talk  to 
me  about  the  food  you  eat,  the  clothes  you  wear. 
Of  course,  you  can  show  by  these  things  how  good 
our  heavenly  Father  is  to  us."  In  repetition,  it 
often  suffices  to  say :  *'Now  tell  me  all  about  the 
earth,  the  sky,  the  First  Commandment,"  or 
whatever  was  under  discussion. 

Review  is  the  life  of  teaching.     If  possible  the 


CLASS  PROCEDURE  IN  RELIGION  97 

matter  should  always  be  brought  up  in  another 
form  or  in  some  new  connection.  In  repetition 
the  teacher,  who  also  teaches  the  ordinary- 
branches,  has  an  opportunity  to  correlate  religious 
ideas  with  their  other  studies.  For  instance,  in 
speaking  of  the  earth,  the  seas,  the  mountains,  a 
connection  may  readily  be  made  with  their  lesson 
in  geography. 

But  review  should  be  more  than  mere  repetition ; 
it  should  entail  the  continued  application  of  funda- 
mental truths  to  new  situations.  Thus  the  course 
should  form  an  accumulation  of  religious  knowl- 
edge and  experience.  Work  that  has  been  done 
should  be  embraced  by  the  work  in  hand.  The 
past  work  should  form  a  basis  for  the  present  work 
and  the  present  for  future  work.  Thus  the  volume 
of  teaching  should,  in  some  measure,  increase  as 
does  the  snowball  in  the  rolling.  This  procedure 
will  emphasize  the  unity  of  faith  in  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  the  children.  Each  new  truth  that 
the  children  meet  is  but  a  new  expression  of  divine 
love.  Each  step  in  the  knowledge  of  religion  is 
but  another  manifestation  of  our  heavenly  Father. 

Stories  and  narratives  from  history  should  occur 
naturally  and  in  their  proper  connection  with  the 
class  work.  It  is  always  a  good  sign  if  the  children 
mention  some  incident  or  story  that  has  a  bearing 


98  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

upon  the  subject  under  discussion.  The  ideal 
would  be  to  put  materials  in  the  hands  of  the 
children  that  would  furnish  them  examples  for 
every  occasion.  Books  on  nature,  the  flowers, 
the  birds,  the  bees,  biographical  works,  and  the 
lives  of  the  saints  would  serve  the  purpose  well. 
Where  this  is  impossible,  the  teacher  might  have 
one  or  the  other  child  read  for  the  class  materials 
that  would  serve  for  the  next  period  of  work. 
The  teacher  might  also  tell  apt  stories  to  them. 

Plays  should  perhaps  be  reserved  for  the  period 
just  before  dismissal.  To  a  certain  extent  this 
exercise  will  naturally  disrupt  the  regular  class 
work.  However,  the  teacher  will  be  able  to  judge 
in  particular  cases  what  is  the  opportune  time. 
When  the  teacher  thus  enters  into  the  spirit  of 
the  children  they  will  love  their  work. 

In  our  system  a  text  is  put  in  the  hands  of  the 
children.  The  text  for  the  first  course  contains 
the  truths  treated  in  the  first  manual.  At  the 
end  of  each  lesson  in  the  manual  the  test  questions 
given  are  intended  to  call  forth  these  truths  from 
the  children.  In  the  second  course  the  text  is 
intended  to  form  the  basis  of  their  class  work.  In- 
stead of  memorizing  this  matter,  or  any  part 
thereof,  the  children  should  be  directed  to  read 
each  lesson  carefully. 


CLASS  PROCEDURE   IN  RELIGION  99 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  all  will  do  full 
justice  to  the  text  from  the  beginning.  In  fact, 
this  is  one  of  the  aims  we  have  in  view :  we 
would  so  interest  them  in  religion  that  they  will 
gladly  read  over  several  times  the  matter  that 
is  to  be  discussed  in  class. 

The  children  should  be  encouraged  to  read  the 
text  in  religion  at  home.  It  should  also  be  sug- 
gested to  them  that  they  discuss  past  matter  with 
the  other  members  of  the  family  —  with  their 
father  and  mother,  sisters  and  brothers.  To 
accomplish  this  is  worth  much  patient  effort; 
for  it  would  help  the  children  in  their  power  of 
expression  upon  religious  topics.  Then,  too,  it 
would  help  to  restore  religious  influence  in  many 
homes. 

Furthermore,  the  teacher  might  have  the  sub- 
ject matter  read  just  before  beginning  the  class 
work.  This  would  freshen  the  ideas  of  those  who 
have  done  their  duty  in  that  regard,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  present  the  matter  to  the  negligent.  It 
might  also  be  useful  to  have  the  lesson  read  from 
the  text  at  the  end  of  the  class  work.  This  would 
present  to  their  minds  anew  the  whole  matter  as  a 
sort  of  summing  up. 

Experience  shows  that  classes  conducted  thus 
present  practically  no  disciplinary  problems  to  the 


100  THE   TEACHING   OF  RELIGION 

teacher.  However,  children,  hke  adults,  are  apt 
to  be  distracted  and  inattentive  at  times.  If  the 
inattention  is  marked  and  extends  to  many  of 
the  children,  it  should  be  a  warning  to  the  teacher. 
It  should  indicate  to  her  that  she  has  passed 
beyond  the  sphere  of  the  children's  interest.  At 
once,  she  should  endeavor  to  correct  her  methods. 
If,  then,  she  fails  to  hold  their  attention,  she  should 
close  the  class  work  and  take  to  reading  or  story- 
telling. 

But  particular  cases  of  distraction  or  inattention 
should  be  treated  as  quite  natural  incidents.  If  a 
child  sits  gazing  through  the  window,  ask  him  to 
discuss  the  things  he  sees  outside;  but  do  it 
quite  gently  so  as  not  to  appear  to  reprimand 
him.  It  is  always  possible  to  turn  these  matters 
to  the  good  of  the  whole  class. 

If  one  child  is  talking  to  another,  direct  a  ques- 
tion to  him  without  assuming  to  note  his  fault. 
You  will  thus  generally  satisfy  his  desire  to  talk ; 
for  indeed  he  was  unconsciously  indicating  to  you 
his  inclination  to  express  himself.  If  a  child 
begins  to  play  with  a  book,  a  pencil,  or  something, 
turn  your  attention  to  the  object  of  his  interest. 
Discuss  it  and  draw  a  lesson  from  it  and  be  thank- 
ful that  a  child  has  helped  you  in  your  work.  For 
he  has  indicated  his  interest  to  you  and  given  you 


CLASS  PROCEDURE  IN  RELIGION  101 

an  opportunity  to  exemplify  the  truth  in  another 
way. 

Try  to  leave  the  children  at  the  end  of  every 
class  period  with  a  desire  for  more.  This  will 
indicate  a  healthy  state  of  mind  and  heart  on  their 
part  and  it  will  be  proof  that  your  teaching  is,  as 
it  should  be,  lovable. 


CHAPTER   XI 

Class  Management 

The  class  in  religion  is  the  laboratory  of  religious 
life ;  it  is  a  spiritual  gymnasium  in  which  the 
children  are  developed  in  spiritual  well-being. 
Here  a  group  of  children  are  brought  together 
under  the  direction  of  a  teacher  to  attain  definite 
results.  Now  definite  results  cannot  be  obtained 
in  any  form  of  activity  except  by  following  well- 
studied  plans  and  by  aiming  at  certain  clearly 
determined  objectives.  To  arrive  at  the  desired 
goal  of  teaching  it  is  necessary  to  utilize  to  good 
advantage  the  time  and  energies  of  the  children. 
This  can  be  accomplished  by  good  management 
alone. 

Good  management,  in  this  sense,  might  be 
taken  to  mean  the  harmonizing  of  all  the  forces 
in  the  group  so  as  constantly  to  promote  the  best 
interests  of  each  and  every  individual  thereof. 
Religion  belongs  to  the  individual  of  human 
society ;  yet  it  must  radiate  upon  the  whole  social 
group  in  which  the  individual  lives.  Hence  the 
religious  teacher  must  so  direct  her  pupils  that 

102 


CLASS  MANAGEMENT  103 

the  individuality  of  each  will  grow  in  the  spiritual 
life  while  at  the  same  time  order  is  produced  in 
the  whole  group. 

The  more  natural  and  spontaneous  the  order 
of  the  classroom,  the  more  it  contributes  to  the 
development  of  the  children.  Control  by  sheer 
force  of  authority  is  the  easy  and  direct  method. 
Yet  this  method  does  not  necessarily  contribute 
to  the  advancement  and  development  of  the 
children ;  it  tends  rather  to  deaden  the  initiative 
of  the  little  ones. 

The  earnest  teacher  will  have  in  her  mind  a 
clearly  defined  course  for  each  class  period.  She 
will  also  know  clearly  the  manner  in  which  the 
children  should  conduct  themselves  so  as  to  attain 
the  best  results  from  their  class  work.  Then  with 
adroitness  she  will  set  about  the  task  of  producing 
similar  plans  and  aims  in  the  minds  of  the  pupils. 

In  every  well-regulated  classroom  unity  of 
purpose  should  prevail.  The  children  should 
have  the  interests  of  the  work  at  heart.  They 
should  be  concerned  for  the  general  welfare  of  the 
group.  To  engender  this  interest  and  concern 
the  teacher  should  lead  them  to  reflect  upon  the 
best  modes  of  working  together.  For  instance, 
it  is  impossible  to  conduct  an  orderly  class  when 
all  talk  indiscriminately.     The  children  can  read- 


104  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

ily  understand  this.  If  one  is  to  talk  others  must 
be  silent  so  that  he  may  be  heard.  Then,  too, 
it  is  polite  to  listen  while  others  are  talking ;  it  is 
a  sign  of  good  breeding  to  keep  from  interrupting 
others  when  they  are  speaking. 

From  the  beginning  the  teacher  should  take  the 
little  ones  into  her  confidence.  She  should  make 
them  feel  that  they  are  in  earnest  at  their  work. 
Perhaps  she  says:  "Now,  children,  how  do  you 
think  you  can  best  work  together?"  Very  often 
the  answer  will  come  from  a  child  :  "Keep  silent,'* 
or  "be  still,"  or  "stay  in  your  place."  "Very 
well,"  says  the  teacher;  "now  show  me  what 
you  think  is  the  right  way."  If  the  children  have 
been  assigned  fixed  places,  they  will  generally 
sit  quietly  by  to  show  the  teacher  how  they  should 
range  themselves.  Here  the  teacher  will  com- 
mend them  for  what  they  have  done.  Then 
she  may  propose  to  them  the  problem  of  silence 
and  attention. 

Now  she  might  say:  "Of  course  you  want  to 
listen  to  what  everybody  says.  It  is  polite  to 
listen  when  others  are  talking.  Now  what  will 
you  do  so  that  you  can  always  listen  when  others 
are  speaking.^"  Keep  silence.  "Very  well,  now 
let  me  see  how  you  will  do  it.  John,  would  you 
say  the  Our  Father  so  that  the  other  children  can 


CLASS  MANAGEMENT  105 

show  how  to  listen  and  pay  attention  to  what 
everybody  says?  "  By  this  method  it  is  possible 
to  make  the  children  realize  the  meaning  of  proper 
conduct.  Yet  it  requires  patient  and  constant 
care  to  enable  them  to  observe  the  desired  decorum. 

When  one  or  the  other  child  fails  to  respond 
to  the  situation,  great  tact  is  required.  These 
recalcitrants  should  be  encouraged,  not  driven, 
to  accept  the  established  order.  "Now,  Mary 
(who  is  restless  and  noisy),  show  us  how  you  think 
a  little  girl  should  listen  to  what  is  being  said. 
Do  you  think  it  will  be  nice  if  all  the  little  girls 
keep  quiet  like  that?  (For  she  is  demonstrating 
the  model  little  girl.)     That  is  fine." 

This  does  not  mean  that  the  teacher  is  to  coax 
the  children  into  order.  Such  procedure  would 
soon  result  in  confusion.  The  teacher  must  direct 
the  minds  of  the  children  in  choosing  the  proper 
conduct.  Yet  she  should  avoid  reasoning  with 
them ;  she  should  not  seem  to  be  proving  to  them 
that  they  should  act  in  a  given  manner.  She  sim- 
ply permits  them  to  solve  the  problems  of  conduct 
that  are  within  their  capacity  of  judgment. 

In  the  same  manner  she  should  correct  them 
when  they  have  become  disorderly.  A  class  of 
affectionate  little  tots,  to  whom  I  was  teaching 
religion,  had  acquired  the  habit  of  rushing  to  the 


106  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

door  when  I  appeared.  For  the  next  few  moments 
they  swarmed  about  hke  bees  so  that  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  move ;  I  stood  a  helpless  prisoner  bound 
by  the  tender  arms  of  the  little  ones.  My  over- 
indulgence had  perhaps  been  the  cause  of  the 
disorder ;  now  it  was  difficult  to  repulse  the 
little  ones.  At  last  I  asked  them  to  tell  me  what 
was  best  to  do  when  I  came.  After  they  had  told 
me  that  it  would  be  better  to  remain  in  their 
places,  we  tried  it  out ;  I  went  out  and  reentered. 
After  two  or  three  trials  we  succeeded  and  the 
evil  was  corrected. 

The  efforts  of  the  teacher  in  matters  of  behavior 
should  tend  ever  to  develop  self-control  on  the 
part  of  the  children.  The  responsibility  for  good 
conduct  should  be  placed  as  much  as  possible 
upon  the  children. 

In  class  procedure,  hurrj^  and  bustle  should 
be  avoided.  All  should  move  calmly  and 
smoothly.  The  children  should  follow  every  ex- 
pression in  a  reflective  state  of  mind.  This  they 
will  do  as  long  as  the  subject  under  discussion 
touches  upon  their  personal  interests. 

There  should  exist  a  spirit  of  common  interest 
not  only  between  teacher  and  pupils  but  also 
between  pupil  and  pupil.  This  spirit  can  be 
readily  engendered  in  the  teaching  of  religion; 


CLASS  MANAGEMENT  107 

for  brotherhood  is  a  basic  principle  of  the  Chris- 
tian rehgion.  Throughout  the  whole  course  of 
our  teaching  the  children  are  led  to  consider 
the  fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of 
man  in  relation  to  the  truths  of  religion. 

This  spirit  of  solidarity  and  unity  should  extend 
even  to  the  home.  The  children  should  be  en- 
couraged to  discuss  with  their  parents  and  others 
the  religious  matters  that  are  treated  in  their 
classes.  This  will  inevitably  interest  parents. 
The  interest  of  parents  will  have  a  good  effect 
upon  the  children.  This  interest  is  increased  by 
the  home  conduct  of  the  children.  When  they 
are  properly  trained  in  religion  they  will  become 
model  children  in  the  home.  Seeing  this  the 
parents  will  encourage  them  in  their  work.  This 
encouragement  will  in  turn  be  felt  in  the  classroom. 

The  classroom  should  be  made  as  inviting  and 
pleasant  as  possible.  The  children  should  be  com- 
fortably seated.  The  old  method  of  making  the 
children  stand  in  a  group  during  class  recitation 
should  be  relegated  to  the  past.  The  children 
will,  like  adults,  find  it  much  easier  to  be  attentive 
when  they  are  comfortable.  It  is  well,  however, 
to  have  the  individual  child  rise  when  he  speaks. 

The  classroom  should  be  well  ventilated  and  well 
lighted ;    it  should  be  ever  neat  and  clean.     Our 


108  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

surroundings  have  their  psychological  value  for 
us  all.  We  find  it  difficult  to  do  mental  work 
in  the  midst  of  unfavorable  material  conditions. 
The  feeling  that  comes  over  us  at  house-cleaning 
time  is  well  known.  In  the  topsy-turvy  of  those 
days  it  is  impossible  almost  to  read  the  daily 
papers  with  any  satisfaction.  It  is  the  same 
with  the  children ;  the  condition  of  their  environ- 
ment communicates  itself  to  their  minds. 

So  also  does  the  spirit  of  the  teacher  communi- 
cate itself  to  the  children.  Not  only  should  she 
cultivate  a  cheerful  disposition,  but  she  should 
radiate  interest  and  zeal  to  her  pupils.  Further- 
more she  should  practice  self-control  to  the  fullest 
degree.  Poise  and  self-control  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher  are  the  prerequisites  of  good  management. 
The  teacher  must  possess  self-reliance  without 
haughtiness;  she  must  be  at  the  same  time  firm 
and  sympathetic ;  she  must  be  both  dignified  and 
humble ;  she  must  possess  prudence  and  simplicity ; 
she  must  be  just  and  yet  merciful. 

Justice  demands  that  all  children  be  treated 
with  the  same  degree  of  kindness  and  consideration. 
The  spirit  of  fairness  must  animate  the  teacher 
in  all  her  dealings  with  the  children.  She  must 
know  how  to  moderate  the  ardor  of  those  who  draw 
too  easily  upon  her  favor  and  to  encourage  those 


CLASS  MANAGEMENT  109 

who  hesitate  in  their  approach  to  her.  In  every 
class  there  are  children  who  are  inclined  to  be 
forward.  They  are  always  ready  to  respond ; 
they  will  sometimes  monopolize  the  situation. 
It  is  often  a  delicate  task  to  restrain  such  as  these 
without  repressing  their  laudable  zeal.  In  this 
case  they  should  be  led  to  show  consideration  for 
others.  When  a  child  betrays  too  much  ardor  in 
talking,  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  you  might 
say:  *'Very  well;  now  listen  to  what  Thomas 
has  to  say  about  it.  I  know  he  would  like  to  tell 
us  something,  too." 

Always  there  will  be  found  leaders  among  the 
children  and  those  who  dominate  the  group. 
This  power  will  serve  for  good  or  evil  according 
to  the  tact  of  the  teacher.  To  such  the  teacher 
will  do  well  to  intrust  some  special  responsibility. 
Sometimes  the  mischievous  will  become  apostles 
for  good  when  marked  confidence  is  placed  in 
them. 

The  teacher  should  often  have  a  quiet  little 
heart-to-heart  talk  with  these  stronger  and  more 
active  children.  But  such  talks  should  not  take 
the  form  of  reprimands.  They  should  be  consulta- 
tions on  the  subject  of  order  and  work.  If  an 
unruly  boy  is  asked  to  help  others  keep  order 
it  often  suffices  to  change  his  attitude  toward  the 


110  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

situation.  For  it  is  the  leadership  rather  than 
the  mischief  that  he  sought  in  his  unruly  conduct. 
Now  he  has  a  chance  to  lead  in  good  conduct. 
A  little  responsibility  judiciously  conveyed  gen- 
erally has  a  sobering  effect. 

I  once  took  two  hundred  children  to  the  circus. 
They  were  children  from  six  to  twelve  or  thirteen 
years  of  age,  unused  to  city  life.  Not  one  of  them 
would  have  been  safe  if  left  alone  in  that  seething 
crowd  of  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  people.  Yet 
the  larger  children  not  only  took  care  of  themselves 
but  also  guarded  the  smaller  ones.  It  was  the 
responsibility  placed  upon  the  larger  children  that 
made  them  behave  so  admirably  that  they  passed 
through  the  vicissitudes  of  that  wonderful  day 
without  the  slightest  evidence  of  misconduct  or 
even  thoughtlessness. 

I  The  classroom  is  the  nursery  of  life  —  religious 
life.  There,  under  proper  supervision,  the  children 
learn  to  live  a  religious  life.  But  since  life  is  to 
be  a  reasonable  service  to  God,  care  must  be  taken 
to  avoid  routine  in  our  preparation  for  it.  Nat- 
urally a  certain  regularity  of  movement  is  neces- 
sary for  the  order  of  the  classroom ;  but  this 
should  never  take  on  the  character  of  mere  rou- 
tine. In  their  movements  the  children  should 
be  given  the  greatest  possible  liberty.     For  in- 


CLASS  MANAGEMENT  111 

stance,  they  should  learn  to  pass  in  and  out  of 
the  classroom  without  marching  in  fixed  order. 
They  will  indeed  learn  to  follow  directions  by  the 
marching  method  or  group  discipline ;  but  it  is 
far  more  important  to  train  them  to  create  order 
by  the  exercise  of  their  own  faculties. 

There  are  indeed  certain  exercises  that  must 
be  performed  in  concert.  These  will  enable  the 
children  to  learn  to  follow  commands  and  direc- 
tions given  for  the  group.  The  same  end  may 
be  attained  by  drills,  marches,  and  calisthenics. 
But  these  artificial  exercises  should  not  form  the 
ordinary  life  of  the  classroom.  Even  the  drills 
and  marches  can  be  made  less  artificial  for  the 
children  by  tact  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.  She 
can  first  explain  the  desired  movements.  Then 
the  children  exercise  their  own  minds  in  executing 
them.  Always,  the  teacher  should  leave  as  much 
responsibility  as  practicable  to  the  children ;  they 
should  feel  that  they  themselves  are  executing 
the  work  in  hand. 

Children,  like  adults,  resent  too  much  ofiicious- 
ness.  The  teacher  should  bear  this  in  mind. 
She  should  credit  them  with  the  power  to  think 
and  the  will  to  act.  She  should  leave  them  in 
every  action  with  the  impression  that  they  them- 
selves are  doing  it  under  her  kind  and  considerate 


112  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

direction.  The  children  should  feel  that  they 
are  working  not  for  the  satisfaction  of  the  teacher 
but  for  the  aims  inherent  in  the  work.  They  will 
easily  realize  that  the  teacher  is  pleased  with 
their  success  not  because  they  have  performed 
for  her  but  because  she  rejoices  in  their  advance- 
ment. 

They  should  feel  that  the  classroom  is  theirs, 
not  the  teacher's.  They  form  the  little  community 
that  occupies  it.  The  classroom  is  their  own  little 
workshop,  their  little  corner  in  which  to  prepare 
their  souls  for  the  love  of  God.  The  teacher  is 
a  devoted  friend,  an  envoy  from  God,  come  to 
be  with  them,  to  guide  them,  to  assist  them  in 
their  labor  of  love.  This  sense  of  proprietorship 
will  give  the  children  the  proper  attitude  toward 
their  work.  They  will  feel  that  they  are  putting 
their  own  house  (spiritual  house)  in  order.  They 
will  have  personal  concern  for  the  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  whole  group. 

With  this  spirit  abroad  the  teacher  can  more 
easily  inculcate  neatness  and  tidiness  in  the  indi- 
vidual child.  Each  pupil  can  be  brought  to  see 
the  relation  of  his  personal  appearance  to  the  whole 
group.  Certain  standards  of  cleanliness  and  order 
can  be  established.  Thus  the  child  will  learn 
the  principle  of  respectability ;  he  will  learn  to 


CLASS   MANAGEMENT  113 

consider  his  relation  to  the  community  in  which 
he  Hves.  He  will  acquire  the  motives  for  general 
cleanliness  and  neatness  of  dress  so  far  as  these 
relate  to  those  about  him.  Such  little  matters 
as  cleaning  the  shoes  at  the  door  before  entering, 
of  not  dropping  paper  on  the  floor,  of  avoiding 
expectoration  and  the  like  become  important  when 
considered  in  conjunction  with  the  consideration 
we  owe  to  others.  The  children  should  learn  to 
observe  these  proprieties,  not  because  they  have 
been  imposed  upon  them,  but  because  the  love  of 
our  neighbor  demands  them. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Coordination 

It  is  an  established  principle  that  our  teaching 
must  always  begin  with  the  child.  Furthermore, 
religion  must  permeate  the  whole  life  of  the  child. 
Religious  training  must  extend  to  all  the  knowledge 
and  experience  of  the  child ;  else  it  is  defective. 
Hence  there  must  be  a  proportion  between  religious 
development  and  natural  development.  The  spir- 
itual man  must  know  how  to  apply  the  principles 
of  religion  to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life.  He 
must  apply  them  to  his  moral,  his  intellectual,  his 
civic,  and  his  industrial  or  professional  life ;  else  he 
is  not  secure  in  his  religion.  The  educated  needs 
more  knowledge  of  religion  than  the  untutored. 

In  fact,  all  profane  knowledge  must  be  coor- 
dinated with  religion.  Thus  the  teacher  of  reli- 
gion will  do  well  to  apply  the  principles  of  religion 
to  all  the  studies  of  the  children.  This  does  not 
mean  that  she  is  to  moralize  upon  the  topics  of 
human  knowledge.  Nor  does  it  mean  that  she 
is  to  show  the  relation  of  every  arithmetical  prob- 
lem and  every  grammatical  rule  to  religion.     But 

114 


COORDINATION  115 

she  should  so  hnbue  the  children  with  religion 
that  they  themselves  will  be  able  to  make  the 
application.  The  children  must  learn,  by  our 
teaching,  to  reflect  upon  God's  place  in  their 
lives  and  in  the  universe.  When  they  have  done 
this,  they  will  have  learned  the  general  rule  by 
which  to  find  the  relation  of  all  their  human  knowl- 
edge to  God  and  to  religion. 

Reading  and  writing  may  be  related  in  many 
ways  to  religion.  Writing  is  the  expression  of 
thoughts  on  paper  by  words  formed  thereon,  and 
reading  is  the  art  of  deciphering  the  meaning 
thereof.  First  of  all,  writing  implies  the  power 
to  think.  Again,  the  power  to  think  entails  the 
existence  of  a  soul  by  which  we  are  distinguished 
from  the  brute.  Here  we  are  face  to  face  with 
God's  bounty.  Then  there  are  the  writing  ma- 
terials —  paper,  ink,  pen.  All  are  gifts  of  divine 
providence.  What  a  blessing  to  have  these  things  ! 
The  thoughts  and  knov/ledge  of  other  men  can, 
by  means  of  writing,  be  transmitted  down  the 
centuries. 

Then  there  is  that  infinity  of  combinations,  the 
countless  number  of  volumes  that  are  composed 
from  those  twenty-six  little  signs,  the  alphabet. 
What  a  wondrous  intellect  God  has  given  to  man 
to  enable  him  to  accomplish  this !     Surely  then 


116  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

man  is  made  to  the  image  and  likeness  of  God. 
These  Uttle  words  are  capable  of  expressing  truth. 
But  what  is  truth?  Why  is  a  horse  a  horse,  a 
man  a  man  ?  No ;  it  did  not  depend  upon  the 
arbitrary  will  of  mankind.  Truth  is  of  a  higher 
order  than  any  figment  of  the  human  mind.  Truth 
it  is  that  tells  us  that  things  are  what  they  are. 
Error  says  that  they  are  what  they  are  not.  Error 
is  indeed  the  product  of  the  human  mind.  But 
truth  can  come  from  none  other  than  the  Author 
of  all  things.  Things  are  true  when  they  har- 
monize with  the  creative  idea  from  which  they 
were  made.  All  this  is  suggested  by  the  little 
words  that  we  write. 

But  reading  adds  to  this  store  of  religious 
thought.  There  is  the  wonderful  human  eye  that 
can  glance  at  those  written  words  and  by  some 
mysterious  power  transmit  to  the  mind  (to  the 
soul)  the  thoughts  which  they  contain.  This 
leads  to  a  consideration  of  God's  bounty  in  mak- 
ing us  such  marvelous  creatures.  We  are  able 
not  only  to  take  these  written  thoughts  into  our 
own  mind  but  we  are  able  to  communicate  them 
to  others  by  our  power  of  speech.  Here  we  have 
another  loving  gift  of  God.  What  a  bleak  world 
this  would  be  were  we  not  endowed  with  the  power 
of  speech  !    Then  the  consideration  of  that  blessed 


COORDINATION  117 

faculty  of  conversing  with  one  another  directs  our 
thoughts  to  the  human  voice,  another  gift  of 
God's  love.  Thence  again  we  are  led  naturally  to 
the  consideration  of  the  human  ear  by  which  these 
word  sounds  are  transmitted  to  our  soul. 

From  the  simple  studies  of  reading  and  writing 
we  are  led  to  the  consideration  of  literature,  that 
boundless  treasury  of  human  knowledge  and 
experience.  Furthermore,  it  carries  us  on 
naturally  until  we  contemplate  the  Sacred  Writ- 
ings which  were  set  down  for  mankind  by  the 
direct  inspiration  of  God  Himself. 

Mathematics,  too,  has  its  message  of  God  for 
us.  It,  too,  proclaims  the  dignity  of  man  as  a 
rational  creature,  endowed  with  an  immortal  soul 
which  distinguishes  him  from  the  beast.  But  it 
also  suggests  the  contemplation  of  God  in  many 
other  ways.  There  is  the  simple  arithmetical 
problem,  two  and  two  are  four.  But  why  are 
two  and  two  four?  Who  decided  that  two  and 
two  are  always  to  be  four  ?  Who  is  able  to  change 
it  and  make  two  and  two  five  ?  No ;  it  was  not 
man  who  determined  that  simple  truth.  Two 
and  two  would  still  be  four  though  all  the  men  of 
earth  denied  it.  Two  and  two  are  four  in  the  mind 
of  God.  Thus  we  are  led  to  consider  the  source 
of  truth,  which  is  God. 


118  THE   TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Here  again  is  that  wondrous  combination  of 
signs.  All  the  mathematical  problems  of  the 
world  are  composed  of  just  ten  little  numbers. 
With  these  numbers  we  can  but  feebly  attempt 
to  enumerate  the  blessings  of  God  and  measure 
His  works.  Algebra,  the  science  of  equations 
and  relations  in  numbers,  serves  to  show  the 
order  and  unity  in  the  mind  of  God.  It  demon- 
strates how  essentially  the  truth  is  woven  together. 
For  it  assumes  that  the  unknown  quantities  must 
agree  with  the  known.  The  x,  y,  z  quantities 
are  just  as  clear  to  the  mind  of  God  and  just  as 
constant  as  are  the  a,  b,  c  quantities. 

Geometry,  the  science  of  angles,  enables  us  to 
gain  some  idea  of  God's  wondrous  creation.  We 
measure  the  distance  from  planet  to  planet,  from 
star  to  star,  and  are  lost  in  admiration  of  God's 
handiwork. 

The  axiom  says  that  the  straight  line  measures 
the  shortest  distance  between  two  points.  Why 
is  it  so  ?  It  was  not  man  who  made  it  so.  Long 
before  Euclid  formulated  his  axiom,  it  was  true ; 
it  was  true  in  the  mind  of  God  from  all  eternity. 
It  is  one  of  those  truths  that  belong  to  the  essence 
of  things ;  it  postulates  a  divine  intelligence  from 
which  it  emanates. 

Geography  reveals  to  us  the  extent  and  the 


COORDINATION  119 

wonders  of  the  habitation  which  God  has  made 
for  us  here.  It  describes  the  different  countries 
of  earth,  their  fruits,  and  their  products.  It 
indicates  rich  and  fertile  valleys ;  it  points  out 
the  great  mountain  ranges.  It  depicts  the  rivers, 
the  lakes,  and  the  oceans,  the  avenues  of  man's 
commerce  with  man.  It  is  all  a  picture  of  God's 
goodness  and  bounty. 

In  their  study  of  lands  and  regions,  the  children 
can  be  readily  led  one  step  farther  to  contemplate 
the  beneficent  Author  of  all.  They  will  marvel 
to  see  how  the  God  of  nature  has  made  provision 
for  life  in  every  habitable  clime.  In  the  South- 
lands, He  has  covered  man  and  animals  with  a 
dark  skin  to  protect  them  from  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun.  In  the  North,  He  has  given  them  a  lighter 
covering  so  that  the  weak,  slanting  rays  of  sunshine 
may  warm  life  for  them.  He  has  made  life  possible 
in  the  lands  of  the  far  North  by  supplying  abun- 
dance of  fats  for  food  and  furs  for  clothing.  Thus 
every  detail  of  the  study  points  to  new  evidence 
of  God's  love  and  bounty. 

Then  geology  reveals  the  treasures  that  God 
has  stored  in  the  earth  for  the  benefit  of  His 
earthly  children.  There  are  the  inexhaustible 
beds  of  coal  to  supply  heat  for  mankind.  There, 
too,  are  the  rich  ores  —  iron,  copper,  lead,  gold, 


120  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

silver.  All  proclaim  the  bounty  of  a  loving 
Creator.  Oil  and  gas  also  abound  there  in  the 
field  of  the  geologist.  They  are  further  mani- 
festations of  a  loving  Father's  care.  And  the 
precious  stones  that  are  hidden  there  serve  for 
the  joy  and  adornment  of  those  same  children. 
To  study  the  strata,  the  geological  periods,  the 
action  of  eons  and  eons  upon  the  surface  of  the 
earth  is  but  to  learn  more  and  more  of  God's 
greatness  and  glory. 

The  astronomer  introduces  us  to  a  more  won- 
drous field  in  which  the  glory  and  the  power  of 
God  are  made  manifest.  There  in  the  firmament 
we  see  the  order  and  the  design,  the  regular  move- 
ment of  the  heavenly  bodies,  all  of  which  proclaim 
the  glory  of  God.  Why  did  God  create  millions 
of  stars  and  planets?  It  was  that  we  might 
learn  therefrom  something  of  the  power  and  the 
splendor  that  belong  to  Him  with  whom  we  are 
destined  to  dwell  for  eternity. 

Thus  all  science  should  lead  us  nearer  to  God ; 
it  is  but  a  study  of  His  handiwork.  It  is  the 
investigation  of  effects  which  should  always  lead 
to  the  First  Cause  and  Creator  who  is  God.  Bi- 
ology is  the  study  of  life  which  should  ever  lead 
to  the  Author  of  life  Himself.  It  is  the  same 
with  anatomy  and  anthropology.     Back  of  the 


COORDINATION  121 

wonders  that  we  find  here  we  should  see  ever  the 
eternal  hand  of  God.  Likewise,  all  the  branches 
of  medicine  should  be  but  a  prelude  to  the  knowl- 
edge of  God's  goodness  and  mercy.  Men  spend 
their  lives  in  scientific  research  for  the  remedies 
which  God  has  stored  away  in  the  material  world 
to  alleviate  the  ills  and  sufferings  of  man- 
kind. 

History,  too,  the  science  of  human  life,  should 
point  the  way  to  God.  Where  are  now  those  men 
of  the  past,  many  of  whom  perhaps  refused  to  rec- 
ognize their  God?  For  what  did  they  live  and 
struggle?  To  what  end  did  they  spend  their 
laborious  days  and  nights  in  the  search  of  knowl- 
edge and  learning?  Was  it  merely  to  prepare 
themselves  for  dissolution  when  the  days  of 
achievement  had  but  fairly  begun  ?  No ;  it  all 
points  to  immortality  and  eternal  life.  God 
would  not  be  God  did  He  endow  men  with  the 
godlike  faculty  of  reason  by  which  he  could  yearn 
for  endless  life  and  then  let  him  sink  back  into  the 
despair  of  nothingness. 

The  study  of  law  deals  with  the  norms  of  justice 
and  equity.  But  whence  come  these  norms? 
Man  cannot  change  them,  nor  could  he  have 
invented  them.  They  are  intended  to  rule  the 
lives  of  men.     Hence  they  all  belong  to  a  higher 


122  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

order.  They  are  from  the  Maker  of  man.  Jus- 
tice is  justice  in  so  far  only  as  it  accords  with  the 
idea  of  justice  that  exists  in  the  mind  of  God. 
Not  all  the  courts  of  earth  could  change  the  idea 
of  justice ;  for  that  is  above  the  sphere  of  man. 
Liberty  —  whence  does  it  acquire  its  meaning? 
To  learn  this  we  must  go  beyond  the  horizon  of 
human  devices ;  we  must  go  back  to  Him  who 
endowed  man  with  that  noble  faculty  of  liberty. 
Music,  the  "concord  of  sweet  sounds,"  should 
ever  whisper  to  the  soul  about  its  God.  Think 
of  all  the  musical  productions,  the  harmonious 
combination  of  those  seven  elemental  sounds ! 
Then  there  are  all  the  instruments  from  which 
these  sweet  sounds  may  be  drawn.  We  are  moved 
to  laughter,  to  tears,  to  joy,  to  sadness,  by  the 
product  of  these  lifeless  materials.  As  the  soft, 
majestic  notes  of  a  pulsing  organ  fill  the  walls 
of  the  church,  we  are  almost  transported.  But 
whence  come  these  sweet  sounds  that  are  blended 
so  harmoniously  here?  Man's  genius  has  long 
since  been  expended  in  an  attempt  to  draw  them 
forth  and  arrange  them  so  as  to  reveal  their  beauty 
and  power  in  combinations  of  harmony.  But 
it  was  God  who  put  these  sweet  sounds  in  the 
natural  world.  It  was  He  who  made  the  reed, 
the  cord,  the  metal,  and  the  like  capable  of  repro- 


COORDINATION  123 

ducing  them.  It  was  He  who  fashioned  the 
human  voice  so  that  it  can  reproduce  these  seven 
created  sounds  in  notes  of  sweet  song.  All  this 
God  did  for  the  same  reason  as  He  taught  the 
little  birds  to  sing.  He  did  it  to  make  His  children 
happy  here  upon  earth. 

Always  the  notes  of  music  should  lift  our  hearts 
to  God.  Speaking  of  music,  Cardinal  Newman 
says  :  "Is  it  possible  that  that  inexhaustible  evolu- 
tion and  disposition  of  notes,  so  rich  yet  so  simple, 
so  intricate  yet  so  regulated,  so  various  yet  so 
majestic,  should  be  a  mere  sound,  which  is  gone 
and  perishes  ?  Can  it  be  that  those  mysterious 
stirrings  of  heart,  and  keen  emotions,  and  strange 
yearnings  after  we  know  not  what,  and  awful 
impressions  from  we  know  not  whence,  should  be 
wrought  in  us  by  what  is  unsubstantial,  and  comes 
and  goes,  and  begins  and  ends  in  itself?  It  is 
not  so  ;  it  cannot  be.  No,  they  have  escaped  from 
some  higher  sphere ;  they  are  the  outpourings 
of  eternal  harmony  in  the  medium  of  created 
sound  ;  they  are  the  echoes  from  our  Home  ;  they 
are  the  voice  of  Angels ;  or  the  Magnificat  of 
Saints,  or  the  living  laws  of  Divine  Governance, 
or  the  Divine  Attributes ;  something  they  are 
besides  themselves,  which  we  cannot  compass, 
which   we   cannot    utter  —  though   mortal   man, 


124  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

and  he  perhaps  not  otherwise  distinguished  above 
his  fellows,  has  the  gift  of  eliciting  them."  ^ 

Thus,  like  music,  all  the  arts  and  sciences  have 
an  intimate  relation  to  God,  and  hence  to  reli- 
gion. It  is  always  the  relation  of  the  creature  to 
the  Creator.  To  make  men  constantly  conscious 
of  their  relation  to  God  is  a  primary  work  of  reli- 
gious training. 

But  secular  knowledge  should  be  correlated 
logically  to  religion.  It  is  neither  advisable  nor 
practicable  to  apply  artificial  coordination  between 
the  secular  branches  and  religion.  The  coordi- 
nation should  be  made  to  the  subject  matter  of  each 
study  rather  than  to  the  work  of  study.  It  should 
be,  as  it  were,  a  kind  of  implicit  coordination. 

By  this  is  meant  that  the  power  of  reflection 
should  be  so  developed  in  the  children  as  to  enable 
them  to  see  the  relation  of  all  their  studies  to  reli- 
gion. They  should  so  comprehend  the  workings 
of  divine  Providence  that  they  will  recognize  its 
manifestations  in  all  their  investigations.  Thus, 
for  example,  to  practice  reading  and  writing  solely 
upon  religious  topics  and  narratives  would  be  a 
kind  of  artificial  coordination.  But  if  a  child 
learns  to  thank  God  for  the  faculty  to  read  and 

^  Oxford  University  Sermons,  "  The  Theory  of  Development  in  Religious 
Doctrine." 


COORDINATION  125 

write  and  if  he  learns  to  reflect  upon  these  gifts 
of  God  he  has  coordinated  well  the  subjects  of 
reading  and  writing  with  religion. 

Our  work  is  to  train  the  little  ones  so  that  they 
will  naturally  take  the  Christian  viewpoint  in  all 
their  thought  and  activity.  We  must  aid  them 
to  develop  their  perceptive  powers  and  their  pow- 
ers of  reflection  so  that  they  will  see  the  bounty 
of  God  written  upon  the  pages  of  all  their  books 
and  reflect  upon  His  love  in  all  their  studies. 
To  help  the  children  acquire  this  attitude  of  mind 
we  must  use  great  tact  and  circumspection.  We 
must  aid  them  in  the  formation  of  the  proper 
thought  modes.  It  may  not  sufiice  merely  to 
lead  the  children,  for  instance,  to  realize  that  God 
planted  the  musical  sounds  in  the  material  world. 
We  must  aid  them  to  form  the  intellectual  habit 
of  listening  to  music  from  the  standpoint  of 
divine  love,  as  it  were. 

To  this  end  suggestion  may  be  used.  If  there 
is  question  of  mentioning  the  sweet  sounds  that 
come  from  a  harp  or  other  instrument,  instead  of 
saying:  "It  is  wonderful  how  these  sweet  sounds 
can  come  from  those  strings,"  say  :  "It  is  wonderful 
what  sweet  sounds  God  has  put  in  those  strings." 

Thus  it  should  be  in  general,  our  expression 
should   assume,   take   for   granted,    God's   work. 


126  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

The  implication  is  stronger  than  would  be  a  direct 
assertion.  For  example,  in  mentioning  the  move- 
ment of  the  heavenly  bodies,  it  should  be  said : 
*'God  guides  the  earth  in  its  course,"  rather  than 
simply:  "The  earth  follows  its  course."  Instead 
of  saying:  "There  is  abundance  of  minerals  in 
the  earth,"  say:  "God  has  put  abundance  of 
minerals  in  the  earth."  Where  the  thoughtless 
and  the  unbeliever  would  say:  "Nature  has 
been  lavish  in  her  beauty,"  say:  "God  has  been 
lavish  in  bestowing  beauty  on  nature." 

This  manner  of  expression  suggests  God's  rela- 
tion to  all  things.  It  is  a  true  Christian  mode  of 
thought  that  should  become  habitual  with  our 
people.  The  materialist  knows  well  how  to  use 
this  form  of  suggestion  to  promote  his  hopeless 
ideas.  He  refers  to  the  works  of  Nature,  the 
Biocosmos,  or  the  Universal  Mind  with  utter 
complacency.  Thus  he  correlates  human  knowl- 
edge with  materialism. 

Human  knowledge  should  always  lead  to  God. 
The  human  intellect  was  made  for  truth ;  and  God 
is  truth.  Whenever,  then,  the  human  mind  finds 
truth,  it  finds  that  which  comes  from  the  mind 
of  God.  It  is  our  mission  to  lead  young  minds 
to  discover  this  relation  between  human  knowl- 
edge and  God. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

The  Presentation  of  the  Matter 

Repetition  and  correlation  are  two  important 
factors  in  the  educational  process.  The  mind 
acquires  knowledge  through  a  certain  familiarity 
with  the  truth.  Thus  truths,  ideas,  facts,  and 
experiences  must  recur  frequently  if  they  are 
to  become  familiar  to  the  mind.  Yet  repetition 
in  our  class  procedure  must  be  something  more 
than  a  mere  recurrence  of  expressions.  The  ideas 
that  go  to  form  the  body  of  our  teaching  should 
be  introduced  and  reintroduced  with  persistent 
frequency ;  yet  ever  they  must  be  naturally 
and  logically  correlated  to  new  situations.  They 
must  ever  be  presented  in  new  settings  and  in 
new  associations ;  thus  they  will  not  become 
trite  but  will  retain  their  original  freshness. 

This  correlation  of  ideas  is  of  vital  importance 
in  the  training  of  children.  Our  teaching  is  a 
formative  process,  a  building  and  molding  of  the 
mind  and  character.  But  character  depends 
primarily  upon  the  order  that  exists  in  the  rational 
life  of  the  man.     It  is  not  enough  to  possess  knowl- 

127 


128  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

edge  and  truth ;  there  must  also  be  order  in  our 
intellectual  life.  There  is  a  familiar  expression 
which  explains  this:  "The  well-ordered  mind." 
The  mental  stores  of  man,  like  tools  and  materials 
in  a  workshop,  must  be  kept  in  order,  properly 
grouped,  each  item  in  its  proper  place,  else  their 
practical  value  will  be  impaired. 

Ideas,  like  man,  seem  to  be  social  entities ; 
they  shun  solitude  and  move  and  exist  in  groups. 
Thus  we  have  environmental  influence  of  idea  upon 
idea  according  to  their  respective  associations. 
It  is  well  known  in  everyday  life  that  certain 
ideas  are  linked  together,  one  thought  suggesting 
another.  If  you  follow  the  course  of  your  thoughts 
back  into  old  memories  you  will  soon  find  your- 
self following  an  unbroken  chain  of  which  your 
past  experiences  are  the  links.  So  manifest  is 
this  psychological  phenomenon  that  we  may 
readily  assume  that  there  are  certain  lines  or 
processions  of  ideas  which  extend  from  our  early 
childhood  to  the  end  of  our  lives.  Try  to  go  back 
in  memory  by  the  free  association  of  ideas  and 
you  will  probably  be  surprised  at  the  result.  This 
can  be  done  by  simply  following  the  line  of  thought 
that  suggests  itself  to  the  mind. 

Whatever  be  the  nature  of  these  intellectual 
and  moral  groupings  they  certainly  play  an  im- 


THE   PRESENTATION  OF  THE  MATTER      129 

portant  role  in  men's  lives.  Ideas  cluster  to- 
gether, one  calling  upon  the  other.  Men  are 
often  deterred  from  crime  by  some  simple  object 
that  reminds  them  of  their  early  childhood.  A 
word  may  recall  tender  sentiments  from  the  past. 

Why  is  it  that  men  are  so  often  moved  in  later 
life  by  the  thought  of  mother  ?  It  is  because  with 
that  thought  are  associated  the  idealized  joys 
of  childhood  and  all  that  goes  with  early  innocence 
and  simplicity.  Let  your  mind  wander  back  to 
childhood's  memories  and  you  will  realize  the 
great  truth  herein  contained. 

It  is  thus  the  divine  truth  must  be  presented  to 
the  children ;  its  teachings  must  be  linked  to- 
gether in  their  proper  relation  to  the  everyday 
life  of  the  children.  Our  teaching  must  lead  the 
children  to  reflect  upon  the  truth  ever  from  new 
angles  and  in  new  applications  to  their  life.  Thus 
repetition  becomes  the  practice  of  coordination 
and  correlation. 

About  each  idea  of  divine  truth  must  be  grouped 
the  ideas  that  are  to  be  influenced  or  colored  by 
the  truth  in  that  particular.  For  instance,  the 
Fourth  Commandment  says:  "Honor  thy  father 
and  thy  mother."  Here  it  is  not  enough  to 
teach  children  the  duty  of  obedience.  They 
must  learn,  in  conjunction  with  this  precept,  the 


130  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

true  concept  of  parental  authority,  the  meaning 
of  the  Christian  home,  the  means  of  making  the 
home  happy,  the  proper  social  and  religious  vir- 
tues that  belong  in  the  home.  Yet  it  will  not 
suflSce  to  inculcate  filial  respect  and  obedience  in 
this  sole  connection,  under  the  heading  of  the 
Fourth  Commandment.  The  duty  of  children 
toward  their  parents  must  be  presented  in  many 
different  relations.  When  talking  about  our 
heavenly  Father  and  His  gentle  love  and  care,  we 
should  mention  His  representatives  in  this  particu- 
lar; to  wit,  our  parents.  Whenever  there  is 
question  of  obeying  God  there  should  be  mention 
of  parental  authority.  In  treating  the  Com- 
mandments, the  Church,  the  Sacraments  (espe- 
cially Matrimony)  impress  upon  children  their 
duty  toward  their  parents. 

Thus  it  is  with  all  our  teaching  —  we  arrange 
the  ideas  in  their  proper  setting  for  the  children. 
We  present  them  in  their  proper  relation  one  to 
the  other  and  to  their  lives.  Thus  we  may  hope 
that  in  all  the  junctures  of  later  life  the  children 
will  know  how  to  apply  the  truth  to  their  actions. 

Repetition  is  also  necessary  to  acquaint  the 
children  with  the  terminology  of  religion.  They 
should  learn  to  know  these  terms  as  they  acquired 
their  ordinary  knowledge,  or  as  they  made  the 


THE  PRESENTATION  OF  THE  MATTER     ISl 

acquaintance  of  persons  whom  they  know.  First 
the  reahty  itself,  the  thing,  is  presented  to  them ; 
then  they  acquire  the  idea  of  it,  and  finally  they 
learn  the  term  that  designates  it.  It  is  thus  a 
small  child  becomes  acquainted  with  friends  and 
neighbors  who  visit  the  family.  First  it  sees 
only  a  man ;  then  as  his  visits  recur  it  recognizes 
the  man  it  had  seen  before.  Finally,  after  hearing 
his  name  often,  it  learns  to  call  him  Mr.  Worthing- 
ton  or  Mr.  Harrington,  or  whatever  his  name 
may  be. 

In  the  teachings  of  faith  as  defined  by  the 
Church  we  have  such  terms  as  infallibility,  inde- 
fectibility,  inspiration,  transubstantiation,  and  the 
like.  Certainly  it  is  desirable  that  the  children 
should  eventually  become  familiar  with  these 
terms  which  have  been  adopted  by  the  divine 
authority  of  the  Church  to  define  clearly  the 
distinction  between  truth  and  error.  To  deny 
the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation  is  heresy : 
yet  millions  have  loved  the  Holy  Eucharist  unto 
eternal  life  though  they  were  wholly  ignorant 
of  the  term.  Ah,  but  they  knew  well  the  truth 
itself ;  they  knew  that,  when  the  priest  pronounces 
those  mystic  words,  the  bread  and  wine  are 
changed  into  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

He  who  knows  that  the  Catholic  Church  will. 


132  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

by  the  assistance  of  God,  last  until  the  end  of 
the  world,  knows  the  meaning  of  indefectibility 
though  he  may  never  have  heard  the  term.  He 
who  knows  that  the  Catholic  Church  (and  the 
Pope),  by  the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  must 
ever  teach  the  truth,  knows  the  full  meaning  of 
infallibility.  He  who  knows  that  God  told  the 
sacred  writers  what  to  write  in  the  Bible  under- 
stands biblical  inspiration. 

When  the  children  have  learned  the  meaning 
of  the  truth,  their  minds  are  prepared  for  the 
terminology.  It  is  as  when  you  ask  of  a  man 
whose  figure  has  grown  familiar:  "What  is  that 
man's  name?"  When  the  children  have  become 
familiar  with  the  truths  of  religion,  the  terms  used 
in  expressing  these  truths  will  have  a  meaning  for 
them. 

But  always  the  truth  must  be  prepared  and 
fitted  to  the  mind  of  the  child.  In  our  teaching 
we  must  ever  have  in  mind  that  the  child  observes 
as  a  child,  reasons  as  a  child.  He  must  arrive 
at  generalizations  by  due  mental  process.  Hence 
our  teaching  must  ever  begin  with  the  concrete, 
and  indeed  with  those  concrete  things  which 
are  related  to  the  life  of  the  child.  It  is  not 
enough  to  simplify  the  truth ;  it  must  be  put 
in  a  practical  form  as  contradistinguished  from 


THE   PRESENTATION  OF  THE   MATTER      133 

the  theoretical  form.  Furthermore,  we  must  avoid 
complexity  of  ideas  in  our  propositions  so  as  to 
guard  against  "routine  learning"  on  the  part 
of  the  children. 

For  instance,  God  made  us  to  know  Him,  to 
love  Him,  to  serve  Him  in  this  world  and  to  be 
happy  with  Him  forever  in  heaven.  This  is  a 
complex  sentence  containing  many  truths.  If  it  is 
learned  in  early  life  it  is  apt  to  be  a  mere  general- 
ization having  no  practical  value  in  the  life  of  the 
child.  However,  after  the  child  has  assimilated 
the  individual  truths  contained  in  this  complex 
proposition,  he  may  learn  to  state  it  with  meaning 
to  himself. 

The  individual  clauses  are  simple  enough ; 
but  the  complexity  is  confusing  to  the  beginner. 
It  is  like  a  child  who  has  taken  more  in  his  mouth 
than  he  can  masticate.  But  even  this  is  not  the 
prime  reason  for  considering  the  truths  of  our 
proposition  singly.  By  taking  them  one  by  one 
it  is  much  easier  to  enable  the  child  to  consider 
the  meaning  and  importance  of  each.  Thus  the 
truths  might  be  separated  one  from  the  other. 

(1)  God  made  us,  (2)  God  wants  us  to  know 
Him,  (3)  We  must  learn  to  know  Him  here  on 
earth,  (4)  God  wants  us  to  love  Him,  (5)  We  must 
love  Him  on  earth,   (6)  God  wants  us  to  serve 


134  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Him,  (7)  We  must  serve  Him  on  earth,  (8)  God 
wants  us  to  be  happy  forever,  (9)  He  wants  us 
to  go  to  heaven,  (10)  There  he  wants  us  to  be 
with  Him  forever. 

In  this  form  these  truths  seem  simple  enough ; 
however,  this  mental  pabulum  is  not  yet  digestible 
to  little  minds.  These  little  truths  may  still  be 
theoretical  to  the  child.  The  simple  monosyllabic 
*'  God  made  us,"  if  proposed  as  it  stands,  may  never 
become  practical  knowledge  to  the  child ;  it  may 
never  bring  realization  to  him  so  as  to  influence 
his  life.  To  become  practical  it  must  be  correlated 
to  his  previous  knowledge  and  experience ;  it 
must  become  the  product  of  his  own  reflection. 
It  must,  in  fine,  be  a  conclusion  at  which  he  arrives 
after  a  due  progression  of  thought. 

In  like  manner  the  words:  "We  must  know 
God"  may  be  only  a  theory  in  the  mind,  so  much 
mental  lumber.  But  to  know  God  in  truth  is 
practical.  To  know  that  God  is  our  Father, 
that  He  cares  for  us  as  His  children,  that  He 
loves  us,  that  He  tells  us  about  Himself  so  that  we 
will  know  how  good  He  is,  that  He  is  helping  us 
to  be  good  so  that  we  may  go  to  heaven,  that  He 
wants  us  with  Him  forever  in  heaven  because  He 
loves  us,  this  has  a  meaning  in  the  life  of  the  child. 

To  arrive  at  this  knowledge  of  God,  of  truth,  we 


THE   PRESENTATION  OF  THE   MATTER      135 

must  approach  it  from  the  standpoint  of  the  child. 
Turn  the  child's  thought  to  himself,  to  his  baby- 
hood perhaps.  Ask  him  about  the  little  baby  at 
home ;  then  lead  him  to  consider  his  father  and 
mother  and  their  loving  care  for  him.  You  have 
now  led  him  to  the  problem :  "Who  gave  you  to 
your  parents  ?"  Then  naturally  follows  the  prob- 
lem :  "Where  did  God  get  you?"  Without  this 
procedure  the  question  :  "Who  made  you.^"  might 
never  logically  present  itseK  to  the  mind  of  the 
child. 

After  this  procedure,  the  child's  knowledge  of 
God  is  quite  natural.  No  precept  is  needed  to 
tell  him  to  know  God,  just  as  it  was  never  neces- 
sary to  command  him  to  become  acquainted  with 
his  father  and  mother.  Love  draws  him  to  them  ; 
he  is  desolate  when  he  is  kept  long  away  from 
them.  Know  them?  He  is  interested  in  every 
little  thing  they  do.  It  is  thus  with  the  knowledge 
and  love  and  service  of  God.  The  child  must  grow 
not  merely  to  know  that  he  must  know,  love,  and 
serve  God  on  earth ;  he  must  know  that  our 
earthly  life  is  a  preparation  for  eternal  life.  He 
must  be  filled  with  the  firm  conviction  that  to 
obtain  eternal  life  he  must  serve  God,  that  to 
love  God  impels  us  to  serve  Him,  and  to  know 
God  is  to  love  Him. 


136  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

In  this  manner  the  truth  becomes  his  own.  The 
child  has  acquired  it  in  the  joy  of  exercising  his 
own  faculties.  For  indeed  man  finds  his  joy  in 
the  exercise  of  his  own  powers.  This  is  manifest 
especially  in  little  children.  The  little  girl  goes 
to  market  with  mother.  On  their  return,  while 
mother  carries  the  basket,  the  child  must  have 
something  to  carry,  too.  Thus  she  exercises  her 
physical  powers.  If,  at  home,  the  same  little  one 
is  trying  to  sew  a  frock  for  her  doll,  or  attempting 
to  write  a  few  illegible  letters  of  the  alphabet, 
she  is  offended  if  some  kind  but  unthinking 
adult  usurps  her  task  to  help  her. 

This  desire  of  children  "to  do"  was  exemplified 
one  day  at  a  bathing  beach.  A  little  lad  of  six 
who  had  been  playing  in  the  sand  came  bathed  in 
tears  toward  the  cottage.  On  investigation  it  was 
learned  that  he  had  been  engaged,  somewhat  un- 
successfully, perhaps,  in  building  a  sand  tunnel 
under  a  mountain  which  he  had  made.  His  older 
brother  had  thrust  his  assistance  upon  him,  had 
taken  the  spade  "just  to  help  him  and  to  show  him 
how  to  do  it."  But  it  took  his  joy  away;  it 
deprived  him  of  the  satisfaction  which  comes  from 
the  exercise  of  our  own  faculties. 

This  suggests  the  rule  for  the  teacher :  Let  the 
children  exercise  their  own  faculties  of  mind  and 


THE   PRESENTATION  OF  THE   MATTER      137 

heart  in  the  work  of  rehgion.  Thus  it  will  be 
theirs  when  the  work  is  done  ;  it  will  be  the  growth 
and  achievement  of  their  own  life.  We  must, 
therefore,  cultivate  the  desire  "to  do*'  and  "to 
know"  in  the  children.  We  must  prepare  their 
minds  for  the  truth.  Wherefore,  before  attempt- 
ing to  present  the  truth  to  the  mind  of  the  child, 
we  must  know  its  relation  to  his  life.  We  must 
know  the  interests  of  the  child  to  which  the  truth 
is  related  and  to  these  we  must  turn  the  child's 
consideration. 

But  our  teaching  is  to  be  formative :  it  is  to 
give  a  new  form  and  character  to  a  human  life. 
Hence  we  must  ever  have  a  clear  idea  of  the  posi- 
tion the  particular  truths  are  to  hold  in  that  life. 
We  are  now  laying  the  foundations,  building  the 
walls  of  that  structure  which  we  call  religious  life. 
Like  good  architects,  we  must  build  wisely.  To 
do  this  we  must  know  the  value  and  characteristics 
of  our  materials ;  and  we  must  have  a  clearly 
defined  plan  for  our  work.  We  must  present  the 
truth  so  that  throughout  life  for  the  child,  it  will 
embrace  all  the  problems  and  situations  for  which 
it  was  intended. 

Thus,  for  instance,  the  Seventh  Commandment 
says:  "Thou  shalt  not  steal."  But  we  must 
present  this  teaching  so  that  it  will  form  the  basis 


138  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

of  all  honesty,  justice,  and  trustworthiness.  From 
our  teaching  the  children  must  learn  the  meaning 
of  justice  and  apply  it  to  their  lives.  It  must 
enable  them,  in  all  situations  that  may  arise 
throughout  their  whole  life,  to  follow  the  norms 
and  the  spirit  of  righteousness  and  honor  in  all 
their  dealings  with  their  fellow  men. 

Hence  it  must  ever  be  borne  in  mind  what 
manner  of  man  we  would  form  by  our  teaching. 
We  must  be  patient  with  details,  more  patient  than 
the  surgeon  at  work  on  the  vitals  of  a  human 
organism,  more  patient  than  the  sculptor  polish- 
ing the  marble  of  his  masterpiece.  We  must 
realize  that  the  smallest  impressions  may  be  of 
grave  importance  in  the  future  life  of  the  children. 
We  must  realize  that  our  work  is  to  engender  in 
them  the  process  of  Christian  thought  and  action. 
It  is  thus  we  help  the  children  grow  in  wisdom  and 
prudence.  Thus  we  train  their  heart  and  their 
judgment  in  divine  truth.  To  train  their  heart 
we  present  the  truth  to  them  ever  from  the  angle 
of  divine  love ;  we  cultivate  in  them  the  quali- 
ties that  make  for  true  Christian  character.  To 
train  their  judgment  we  lead  them  to  see  the  due 
proportion  of  things ;  we  give  the  divine  truths  of 
faith  their  proper  valuation  in  terms  of  their  own 
lives. 


THE   PRESENTATION   OF  THE  MATTER      139 

In  all  this,  the  guiding  principle  is  the  life  of  the 
child.  The  teacher  should  ever  be  ready  to  utilize 
any  interests  or  inclinations  which  the  children 
may  manifest.  She  must  follow  the  child  whither- 
soever he  goes ;  but  she  must  direct  him  in  the 
way.  In  other  words,  if  the  child  be  filled  with 
interests  of  the  moment,  do  not  attempt  to  turn 
him  from  them  to  other  interests,  but  utilize 
them  for  the  purpose  in  hand.  The  teacher, 
having  a  definite  aim  in  mind,  should  select  from 
the  experiences  and  conversations  of  the  children 
those  that  will  lend  themselves  to  the  lesson 
planned.  For  instance,  if  a  child  has  just  seen  a 
street-car  wreck,  let  him  tell  you  about  it.  If  you 
can  find  a  point  of  contact  with  the  lesson,  well 
and  good ;  otherwise,  turn  his  mind  to  something 
else  that  is  more  directly  related  to  the  matter 
in  hand.  Thus  all  the  truths  of  faith  should  be 
taught  in  their  proper  relation  to  the  life  of  the 
child.  Each  truth  should  be  presented  in  its 
proper  correlation  and  association.  Each  truth 
should  be  the  center  of  a  whole  field  of  thought. 
It  is  thus  the  teachings  of  faith  should  be  pre- 
sented to  the  children. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

God 

Nothing  has  a  real  meaning  for  children, 
perhaps,  except  that  which  is  related  to  their 
lives.  Nothing,  at  least,  influences  their  lives 
except  that  which  they  conceive  in  relation  to 
their  lives.  Wherefore  it  behooves  us  so  to 
present  God  to  the  minds  of  the  children  that 
they  will  conceive  Him  in  His  true  relation  to 
themselves. 

If  men  form  the  proper  concept  of  God  in  early 
life,  He  will  be  ever  their  Emmanuel,  God  with 
them.  True  Christian  life  is  a  spiritual  union 
with  God  upon  earth.  But  love  is  the  bond  of 
spiritual  union  whether  between  man  and  man  or 
between  God  and  man.  Wherefore  if  man  is  to 
lead  a  life  of  union  with  God  he  must  conceive 
God  as  lovable.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  we 
present  God  to  the  children  as  a  loving  Father. 
Then  all  our  teaching  on  God  and  religion  is 
intended  to  make  the  child  reflect  upon  God's 
love  and  bounty. 

To  present  God  as  the  Creator  of  all  things,  the 

140 


GOD  141 

first  Cause,  the  Maker  of  the  universe,  means 
generally  to  confuse  the  young  mind  with  the 
idea  of  a  terrible,  abstract  power,  an  awful  Omnip- 
otence. This  concept  of  God  as  Creator,  though 
it  be  dogmatically  correct,  may  easily  exist  apart 
from  love.  To  attempt  to  produce  love  in  the 
child  by  defining  the  divine  attributes  were  like 
essaying  to  engender  filial  affection  in  him  by 
expounding  the  physiology  of  his  father  and 
mother.  True,  the  child  must  learn  the  attri- 
butes of  God.  But  he  must  see  in  them  the  in- 
struments of  divine  love ;  then  they  will  draw  him 
to  God.  For  he  learns  to  know  them  through  the 
manifestations  of  divine  Providence,  and  through 
the  communications  of  a  loving  Father. 

In  our  courses  of  religion  we  begin  with  the 
Lord's  Prayer;  we  suppose  that  the  child  has 
already  learned  to  say  this  prayer  at  home. 
Then  and  thenceforth  the  whole  burden  of  our 
teaching  is  to  make  the  child  realize  the  full 
meaning  of  those  two  words:  "Our  Father." 
He  who  realizes  fully  that  God  is  our  Father  has 
absorbed  the  soul  and  the  essence  of  religion. 
If  then  God  takes  His  place  in  his  mind  and  heart 
as  Father,  he  will,  in  turn,  be  a  true  child  of  God ; 
he  will  strive  to  live  in  a  manner  worthy  of  his 
sonship.     But  to  realize  that  God  is  our  Father 


142  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

and  to  love  Him  as  a  Father  the  child  must  know 
and  feel  the  love  of  God  in  his  life. 

To  make  the  child  know  and  feel  God's  love 
we  must  follow  the  child's  mode  of  thought.  He 
considers  virtue,  goodness,  bounty,  love  in  their 
effects.  Abstract  ideas  form  no  part  of  his  mental 
store.  Goodness  for  him  means :  father  is  good, 
mother  is  good.  They  are  good  because  they  do 
things  that  please  him  and  make  him  happy.  He 
sees  the  goodness  and  love  of  his  parents  in 
the  concrete.  It  is  thus  we  must  present  the  good- 
ness and  the  love  of  God  to  him.  To  say :  God 
is  the  Giver  of  life,  is  a  universal  truth.  To 
bring  it  home  to  the  children  we  must  translate 
it  into  a  concrete  and  particular  truth.  Then  it 
means :  God  gave  me  my  life :  God  gave  life  to 
my  father  and  mother,  to  my  brothers  and  sisters, 
to  all  the  people  in  the  world.  He  also  gave  life 
to  the  animals  —  horses,  cows,  sheep,  dogs ;  to 
the  trees,  the  plants,  the  flowers. 

But  their  minds  must  be  prepared  for  even  these 
simple,  concrete  truths.  We  must  begin  with  the 
child,  with  the  little  things  of  his  life.  We  must 
begin  with  the  simple  and  obvious  favors  and 
manifestations  of  life  and  through  these  lead  to  the 
consideration  of  life  itself. 

Ours  is  a  rational  life ;   we  possess  an  immortal 


GOD  143 

soul.  The  child  must  learn  to  know  that  God 
gave  us  a  soul.  To  him,  however,  soul  is  but  an 
empty  term.  So  we  must  direct  his  mind  to 
contemplate  the  manifestations  of  the  soul.  Man 
is  different  from  the  brute;  he  can  think;  he 
can  will ;  he  can  love.  These  things  the  brute 
cannot  do.  When  we  die,  our  soul  still  lives. 
After  our  body  is  dead,  we  can  still  know  and 
think ;  we  can  will ;  we  can  remember.  Our  soul 
will  live  forever.  Such  is  the  soul  which  God  has 
given  us. 

God  is  the  Creator  of  all  things^  is  a  plain  and 
simple  statement  of  a  great  truth.  Yet  in  this 
form  it  bears  no  relation  to  the  life  of  the  child. 
But :  Ood  made  the  world  for  us  to  live  in,  correlates 
the  truth  to  the  child.  God  filled  the  world  with 
good  things  for  us.  He  made  the  sun,  the  moon, 
the  stars,  the  lands,  the  seas,  the  animals,  the 
plants,  all,  all  for  us.  He  made  them  from 
nothing;  He  made  them  out  of  love  for  us;  for 
we  are  His  children. 

Thus  the  creation  of  the  world  touches  the  life 
of  the  child.  The  earth  is  a  dwelling  place  made 
for  us  by  our  heavenly  Father.  Besides  the 
bounty  with  which  He  has  provided  for  our  needs, 
God  has  adorned  this  dwelling  place  with  beauty 
out  of  love  for  us.     The  heavenly  bodies  are  like 


144  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

clusters  of  electric  lights  to  brighten  our  earthly 
home :  the  clouds,  the  sunrise,  the  sunset,  the 
moonlight  are  like  beautiful  paintings  on  the  walls. 
The  grass,  the  verdure,  the  flowers  are  like  a 
beautiful  carpet  on  the  floor  of  a  home  prepared 
by  loving  parents  for  their  children.  From  these 
concrete  things  the  children  easily  arrive  at  a  clear 
perception  of  God's  love  and  bounty.  But  God  is 
ever  ready  to  forgive  bad  people.  They  need  only 
be  sorry  and  promise  to  be  good.  Ah,  then,  God 
is  merciful ;  that  is  what  it  means  to  forgive  in 
this  manner. 

The  children  know  the  difference  between  good 
and  evil.  God  rewards  all  that  is  good  ;  He  blesses 
all  the  people  in  the  world  when  even  little  chil- 
dren ask  Him.  But  God  hates  all  that  is  evil ; 
those  who  do  evil  must  suffer.  It  is  thus  they 
learn  that  God  is  just.  It  is  not  enough  to  tell 
the  children  that  God  is  just,  holy,  merciful. 
These  are  indeed  dogmas  revealed  for  our  belief. 
Yet  God  revealed  His  goodness,  His  holiness.  His 
love,  His  mercy  in  His  works.  It  is  by  reflection 
upon  the  works  of  God  that  we  learn  to  know  these 
divine  attributes.  In  the  same  manner  the  chil- 
dren must  learn  that  God  is  omnipotent,  omnis- 
cient, and  omnipresent.  It  is  always  the  induc- 
tive process  of  knowledge.     Nor  does  this  militate 


GOD  145 

against  faith.  In  fact,  strong  faith  needs  a  firm 
basis  of  reason  upon  which  to  stand.  These 
findings  of  the  human  reason  are  the  preamble,  the 
motives  which  make  faith  a  "rational  service" 
to  God. 

Our  teaching  must  form  deep  and  lasting  con- 
victions in  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  children. 
It  must  aid  them  in  the  formation  of  principles  to 
guide  their  lives.  Wherefore  it  must  give  them 
the  proper  concept  of  their  own  life,  the  proper 
attitude  toward  God,  toward  their  fellow  men, 
and  toward  the  world.  Here,  then,  in  considering 
the  spiritual  and  material  benefits  which  God  has 
bestowed  upon  us  we  must  learn,  at  the  same  time, 
the  proper  attitude  that  is  to  be  taken  toward 
them.  Life  and  its  material  blessings  are  not 
given  to  our  absolute  dominion.  All  these  things 
still  belong  to  God  —  our  soul,  our  body,  our  life, 
the  material  blessings  around  us.  They  are  given 
over  to  our  care ;  we  are  stewards  of  God.  To 
Him  we  must  render  an  account  of  all  that  He 
has  intrusted  to  our  keeping. 

This  great  and  fundamental  truth  should  be 
engendered  in  the  minds  of  the  children  from 
the  beginning.  It  is,  in  a  sense,  the  basis  of  the 
whole  moral  order.  If  my  life  belongs  to  God, 
it  is  reasonable  indeed   that   He   should   deter- 


146  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

mine  the  manner  in  which  I  am  to  live.  If  all 
things  belong  to  God,  it  is  very  proper  that  I 
use  them  as  He  directs.  If  my  soul  belongs  to 
God,  He  can  surely  require  that  my  thoughts  be 
pure.  If  my  body  belongs  to  Him,  I  must  cer- 
tainly use  it  according  to  His  will.  And  if  all 
things  belong  to  God,  my  possessions  are  not 
absolute.  My  unfortunate  fellow  man  has  a 
right  to  expect  that  charity  will  prompt  me  to 
share  my  good  things  with  him.  It  is  then  clear 
why  God  has  imposed  upon  me  the  duty  of  helping 
my  fellow  man  in  his  needs. 

All  this  must  be  inculcated  in  the  progress  of 
the  child's  acquaintance  with  life.  From  the 
moment  he  learns  by  reflection  that  he  possesses 
life,  a  soul,  a  body,  he  should  recognize  God's 
dominion.  Not  for  one  hour  should  he  consider 
the  blessings  of  life  as  absolutely  his  own.  For 
even  in  that  short  period  he  may  assume  an 
attitude  that  will  injure  his  moral  and  religious 
life. 

But  these  convictions  cannot  be  directly  com- 
municated. They  must  grow  from  the  consider- 
ation of  the  truth  in  its  minutest  detail.  The 
teacher,  however,  must  know  how  to  direct  the 
thought  of  the  child  so  that  the  desired  result 
will  be  attained.     If  a  child  learns  to-day  that 


GOD  147 

God  has  determined  the  manner  in  which  it  is  to 
partake  of  bread  and  milk  in  the  morning,  it 
may  learn  to-morrow  that  God  has  determined 
the  manner  in  which  it  must  use  its  reason, 
its  will,  its  eyes,  its  ears,  all  its  powers  and 
faculties. 

It  is  the  same  with  our  attitude  toward  others. 
It  is  not  enough  to  tell  the  children  that  God  is 
our  Father;  we  are  all  God's  children  united 
in  one  big  family  —  brothers  and  sisters.  They 
must  learn  to  know  this  truth  in  practice.  They 
must  live  the  brotherhood,  even  now  in  their 
childhood.  This  will  bring  conviction.  The  chil- 
dren pray  for  one  another ;  they  pray  for  others ; 
they  pray  for  all  the  people  in  the  world.  They 
are  kind  to  others,  helping  those  in  need.  They 
are  cheerful  and  pleasant,  trying  to  make  others 
happy.  They  use  good  manners  to  show  respect 
for  others.  All  this  will  develop  the  realization 
of  that  great  truth  which  bespeaks  the  universal 
brotherhood. 

Thus  our  teaching  must  exercise  the  children 
themselves  in  the  great  truths  of  religion.  They 
must  learn  to  accept  in  fact  the  relations  that 
they  hold  to  God  and  their  fellow  men.  Day  by 
day  they  must  grow  in  the  conviction  and  the 
feeling  that  God  is  our  Father;    we  are  children 


148  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

of  God;  the  earth  is  our  temporary  dweUing 
place ;   heaven  is  our  true  home. 

In  thus  presenting  God  to  the  children  we  give 
them  a  true  concept  of  Him;  we  appeal  to  their 
whole  being.  With  the  idea  of  God  is  associated 
all  that  is  good,  holy,  and  noble.  And  with  the 
ideas  of  goodness,  holiness,  and  nobility  are  cor- 
related the  ideas  of  joy  and  hope  and  happiness. 

We  must  so  direct  the  minds  of  the  children 
that  they  will  arrive  at  the  comprehension  of  the 
great  truths  about  God.  God  made  the  sun,  the 
moon,  the  stars,  the  trees,  the  plants,  the  animals. 
He  made  me ;  He  made  you ;  He  made  all  the 
people  in  the  world.  He  made  all  things.  It 
is  easy  after  this  for  even  the  little  child  to 
understand  that  God  is  almighty,  all-powerful, 
omnipotent. 

Then  God  is  here  with  us ;  He  is  with  father 
and  mother ;  He  is  with  the  people  in  every  city ; 
He  is  in  every  country  of  the  world  ;  He  was  with 
all  the  people  that  ever  lived ;  He  is  with  the 
angels  and  saints.  God  is  so  wonderful  that  He 
can  be  in  heaven  and  on  earth  at  the  same  time. 
He  is  there  at  all  times  and  in  all  places.  He 
was  there  when  the  people  used  to  hear  Mass  in 
the  catacombs ;  He  was  there  when  the  Apostles 
taught  the  people  ;  He  was  there  when  the  brethren 


GOD         '  149 

of  Joseph  cast  him  in  the  well;  He  was  with 
Abraham,  with  Noah,  with  Adam  and  Eve.  Ah, 
then  God  is  everywhere ;   He  is  omnipresent. 

God  knows  me ;  He  knows  you ;  He  knows  all 
that  we  know ;  He  knows  all  the  people  in  the 
world  ;  He  knows  all  the  animals  ;  He  knows  the 
stars  and  planets ;  He  knows  the  grains  of  sand 
on  the  seashore.  In  a  word,  God  knows  all 
things  ;   He  is  omniscient. 

Of  course  this  is  a  slow  and  tedious  process  ;  but 
it  is  the  process  of  growth.  It  is  only  by  patient 
labor  and  waiting  that  we  can  superintend  the 
development  of  the  young  mind  in  its  knowledge 
of  God.  But  there  is  no  other  way;  it  is  the 
way  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Divine  Revelation 

The  mystery  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  consists 
in  this,  that  there  are  three  distinct  persons  in 
God  who  is,  at  the  same  time,  one  and  indivisible. 
While  the  three  divine  persons  are  really  distinct 
one  from  the  other,  they  are  equal  in  all  things, 
possessing  one  and  the  same  divine  nature.  The 
Father  is  the  first  person ;  the  Son  is  the  second 
person ;  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  third  person.  Yet 
all  three  are  eternal. 

We  know  the  mystery  of  the  Blessed  Trinity 
through  divine  revelation  as  interpreted  and 
taught  by  the  Catholic  Church.  To  teach  the 
children  the  doctrine  of  the  Blessed  Trinity  we 
must  find  a  point  of  contact  with  their  lives.  This 
is  not  so  difficult  as  it  may  appear.  God  has 
already  taken  His  place  in  the  plane  of  the  chil- 
dren's experience.  They  have  learned  that  He  is 
our  Father  who  watches  over  us  with  love  and 
bounty.  All  that  they  have  hitherto  learned 
about    God   has    been    correlated    to    their   lives 

150 


DIVINE  REVELATION  151 

through  the  instrumentaHty  of  the  material  world 
and  their  family  experiences. 

Now,  however,  they  are  to  consider  God  as  He 
is  known  through  divine  revelation.  Here,  too, 
they  must  learn  to  know  Him  as  a  God  of  love, 
our  heavenly  Father.  Hence  they  must  acquire 
a  competent  idea  of  divine  revelation  and  its 
transmission  to  us.  To  introduce  the  little  ones 
to  the  truth  of  divine  revelation,  we  lead  them 
to  speak  about  their  home  life.  Soon  they  are 
eagerly  telling  us  about  the  things  that  father 
and  mother  have  told  them.  They  have  told 
them  about  things  that  happened  before  the 
children  were  born.  They  have  told  them  about 
places  where  the  children  have  never  been,  where 
they  lived,  perhaps,  when  they  were  little.  They 
have  told  them  about  people  they  used  to  know 
long  before  the  children  were  born. 

Now  the  children's  minds  are  turned  to  our 
heavenly  Father.  He,  too,  is  a  loving  Father; 
He,  too,  has  told  us  about  Himself ;  He  has  told 
us  about  things  that  happened  before  we  were 
born,  before  Adam  and  Eve  were  made,  before 
the  world  was  made,  before  the  angels  were  created. 
He  has  told  us  about  a  place  where  none  of  us  has 
ever  been,  about  heaven.  He  has  told  us  about 
beings   whom   we   have   never   seen,   the   angels. 


152  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

How  simple  it  all  is  !  The  narrations  of  parents  to 
their  children  about  the  past  and  the  unknown  are 
human  revelation.  The  narrations  of  our  heav- 
enly Father  are  divine  revelation.  But  if  God 
has  spoken  to  us  about  Himself,  about  the  angels, 
and  about  heaven,  the  children  are  curious  to 
know  when  and  to  whom  He  told  these  things. 
They  are  ready  to  learn  how  these  things  have 
been  handed  down  to  us. 

Thus  in  a  quite  natural  way  they  arrive  at  a 
knowledge  of  the  Patriarchs,  the  Prophets,  our 
Lord,  the  Apostles,  the  Bible,  the  Church.  God 
spoke  to  some  holy  men,  the  Patriarchs  and 
Prophets.  Then  our  Lord  Himself  came  from 
heaven  to  tell  us  more  than  all  the  others.  Then 
He  sent  the  Apostles  to  teach  us.  But  more 
wonderful  still,  God  wrote  many  of  these  things 
in  a  book.  Yes,  God  wrote  a  book ;  it  is  called 
the  Bible.  Of  course  God  did  not  write  it  with 
His  own  hand ;  He  had  some  holy  men  write  it 
for  Him,  telling  them  every  word  they  were  to 
write. 

This  gives  the  children  a  comprehensive  view 
of  divine  revelation,  the  sacred  Scriptures,  and 
verbal  inspiration.  It  will  serve  them  well 
throughout  life.  But  one  question  still  remains 
to  be  answered.     It  is  now  well-nigh  two  thousand 


DIVINE  REVELATION  153 

years  since  our  Lord  and  the  Apostles  died.  How 
have  these  sayings  reached  us  in  these  latter 
days  ?  Behold,  how  logically  we  arrive  at  the 
concept  and  mission  of  the  Church  !  The  Catholic 
Church  teaches  us  all  that  our  Lord  and  the 
Apostles  taught ;  it  teaches  us  what  God  told 
the  Patriarchs  and  Prophets ;  it  tells  us  what  the 
words  of  the  Bible  mean.  God,  our  heavenly 
Father,  in  His  love  for  us.  His  children,  sent  the 
Catholic  Church  to  teach  us  these  things.  And 
to  make  sure  that  the  Catholic  Church  would 
always  teach  the  truth,  God  the  Holy  Ghost 
came  to  stay  with  it  until  the  end  of  the  world. 

It  is  all  wonderful  indeed.  It  shows  God's 
fatherly  love  for  His  children.  But  what  did  God 
tell  us  about  Himself  .^^  God  told  us  that  there 
are  three  divine  persons  in  Him,  all  one  and  the 
same  God.  They  are  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost.  All  three  are  eternal,  unchange- 
able, almighty,  all-knowing,  all-seeing.  That 
is  enough  for  us  —  God  has  told  it  to  us.  God 
is  all-good  and  all-knowing.  W^hatever  God  tells 
us  must  be  true.  This  is  the  reasonable  motive 
for  our  faith.  Surely  there  are  things  in  heaven, 
in  God's  life,  more  wonderful  than  the  things  we 
see  around  us.  Now  we  know  something  of  them, 
for  our  heavenly  Father  Himself  has  told  us. 


154  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

In  all  this  teaching  there  are  many  ideas  upon 
which  the  children  should  reflect.  To  make 
them  realize  the  eternity  and  the  immutability 
of  God  such  terms  are  used  :  God  was  always  God ; 
the  Father  was  always  God ;  the  Son  was  always 
God ;  the  Holy  Ghost  was  always  God ;  God 
will  always  be  God ;  the  Father  will  always  be 
God ;  God  was  always  just  as  He  is  now ;  God 
will  always  be  just  as  He  is  now.  The  unity 
of  God,  in  view  of  the  three  divine  persons,  must 
be  impressed  upon  the  children.  The  three  divine 
persons  are  one  God.  Here  the  folly  of  the  pagans 
who  believed  in  many  gods  can  be  cited  to  em- 
phasize the  unity  of  God.  In  the  end,  after  they 
have  become  familiar  with  the  idea,  they  learn 
the  term  by  which  the  three  divine  persons  to- 
gether are  designated  —  the  Blessed  Trinity. 

Throughout  the  whole  course  of  this  teaching 
the  love  of  God  for  us  is  being  made  manifest  to  the 
children.  The  truth  appeals  not  only  to  their 
intellect  but  also  to  their  emotions.  This  is  as 
it  should  be,  else  it  will  scarcely  produce  fruits 
in  their  life. 

The  Angels.  We  have  already  introduced  the 
angels.  The  children  know  that  God  has  told 
us  about  them.  Then,  too,  the  subject  of  the 
angels  seems  to  appeal  in  an  especial  manner  to 


DIVINE  REVELATION  155 

the  children.  They  can  be  led  readily  to  reflect 
that  God  created  the  angels  and  that  He  made 
them  so  that  He  could  love  them  and  be  loved  by 
them.  They  will  be  eager  to  hear  what  we  com- 
municate to  them  about  the  angels.  The  angels 
have  no  eyes,  ears,  hands,  feet.  Yet  they  can 
see,  hear,  do  things,  and  move  about  very  rapidly. 
They  can  know  much  more  than  we  know.  They 
are  spirits.  God  is  a  spirit.  All  this  is  interesting 
to  the  children  ;  but  now  they  conceive  a  practical 
knowledge  of  our  guardian  angels,  a  knowledge 
that  will  become  immediately  operative  in  their 
lives. 

We  approach  the  teaching  on  their  guardian 
angels  through  their  own  little  friendships.  Chil- 
dren are  very  fond  of  their  little  friends  and  play- 
mates. They  have  already  learned  what  wonder- 
ful creatures  are  the  angels,  how  good  and  pure 
and  loving  they  are.  Of  course  every  child,  when 
it  is  proposed,  would  be  glad  to  have  an  angel  for 
a  friend.  It  generally  causes  a  perceptible  joy 
when  the  knowledge  of  their  guardian  angel  is 
thus  presented  to  them.  Just  think  how  good 
God  is  to  give  each  one  of  us  a  dear  angel  to  go 
with  us  all  the  time  !  It  is  another  proof  of  God's 
love.  This  dear  angel  friend  was  sent  to  us  to 
watch  over  us  and  help  us  be  good.     God  sent 


156  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

him  to  help  us  on  the  way  to  heaven.  Our 
guardian  angel  loves  us  very  much.  Day  and 
night  he  goes  with  us ;  he  puts  good  thoughts 
into  our  minds ;   he  speaks  to  us  in  our  hearts. 

Here  it  is  well  to  particularize  the  suggestions 
of  this  holy  spirit.  He  tells  us  to  love  God,  to 
obey  our  parents,  to  say  our  prayers,  to  go  to  Mass, 
to  avoid  bad  company.  And  then,  in  turn,  the 
children  must  learn  to  love  their  guardian  angel, 
to  pray  to  him.  The  children  are  filled  with 
wonderment  when  they  learn  that  the  dear 
angels  can  talk  without  words.  They  can  put 
thoughts  in  our  minds  without  forming  words. 
Here  we  take  occasion  to  make  them  realize 
better  the  nature  of  the  human  soul ;  it,  too,  is  a 
spirit.  When  the  body  dies  it  will  think,  will, 
and  remember  as  do  the  angels.  God  is  the  great- 
est spirit.  So  our  soul  is  like  God  and  the  angels. 
At  this  juncture  we  can  also  mention  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  who  is  queen  of  the  angels.  Thus 
God's  blessed  Mother  will  be  associated  with  the 
angels.  The  fact  can  also  be  touched  upon  that 
the  angels  are  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible. 
As  the  courses  proceed  these  references  to  Holy 
Scripture  will  be  extended. 

The  Devils.  After  considering  the  angels,  it  is 
easy  for  the  children  to  pass  to  the  teaching  upon 


DIVINE  REVELATION  157 

the  devils.  Again  they  are  led  to  reflect  upon 
the  love,  beauty,  and  holiness  of  the  angels. 
Then  they  learn  that  some  of  the  angels  refused 
to  obey  God.  It  was  a  terrible  thing  to  do ! 
Those  beautiful  creatures  would  not  do  what  God 
told  them.  They  turned  against  Him  and  dis- 
obeyed Him;  for  this  they  were  changed  into 
devils.  Then  they  were  cast  down  into  hell  to 
stay  there  forever. 

God  loved  the  angels ;  He  created  them  to  be 
with  Him  in  heaven  forever.  Yet  some  turned 
against  Him;  they  followed  their  proud  leader, 
Lucifer ;  they  began  to  hate  God.  So  it  is  their 
own  fault;  they  rejected  God's  love.  Now  they 
are  separated  from  God  forever.  This  all  hap- 
pened because  they  were  too  proud  to  obey  God. 
They  thought  they  could  get  along  without  God. 
That  is  the  way  people  think  who  do  not  obey 
God.  Now  the  devils  hate  us  because  we  love 
God;  they  are  jealous  of  God  because  we  love 
Him.  So  they  try  to  take  us  away  from  God; 
they  try  to  make  us  disobey  God.  They  want  to 
take  people  to  hell  so  that  they  will  not  be  with 
God  in  heaven. 

Thus  the  children  are  led,  step  by  step,  to  realize 
the  malice  of  diabolical  temptation.  Withal  they 
are  ever  led  to  reflect  on  God's  love.     God  sent 


158  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

a  good  angel  to  each  one  of  us  to  help  us  avoid 
the  evil  suggestions  of  the  devil.  But  they  must 
know  how  the  devil  works  upon  them.  The 
devil  puts  evil  thoughts  in  people's  minds.  Here 
we  particularize.  The  children  must  know  that 
evil  thoughts  and  desires  come  from  the  devils. 
They  must  learn  to  pray  for  help  to  resist  these 
temptations.  They  must  also  know  that  the 
devil  uses  evil  men  to  effect  his  purposes.  To 
impress  this  upon  them  we  mention  the  perse- 
cutions of  the  Christians  by  the  pagans.  Thus 
they  learn  that  the  opposition  to  good  in  the  world 
comes  from  the  devil.  Then  to  show  the  devil's 
effrontery  we  mention  our  Lord's  temptation. 

Heaven.  The  purpose  of  our  teaching  is  to 
assist  the  children  to  realize  the  truth.  Here  we 
would  impress  upon  them  the  truth  of  eternal  life. 
Our  angle  of  approach  is  the  visible  world.  The 
same  loving  Father  that  created  this  beautiful 
dwelling  place  for  us  and  filled  it  with  good  things 
has  prepared  an  eternal  home  for  us  in  heaven. 
Ever  the  children  must  be  led  to  compare  this 
world  with  eternity.  They  must  reflect  that 
this  life  is  but  a  preparation  for  eternal  life. 
When  we  die  we  are  going  home  with  joy  to  our 
heavenly  Father.  If,  then,  this  world,  in  which 
we  are  to  live  for  a  short  time,  is  so  beautiful,  what 


DIVINE  REVELATION  159 

must  be  that  world  in  which  we  are  to  live  for- 
ever !  Then,  as  ever,  we  must  make  our  teaching 
concrete.  Heaven  is  a  place  of  love  and  happiness ; 
there  we  will  be  with  God,  the  angels,  the  saints. 
We  will  be  with  our  loved  ones,  our  parents,  our 
brothers  and  sisters,  our  friends. 

After  the  resurrection,  we  will  also  have  our 
body  in  heaven.  Then  we  will  be  young  and 
beautiful.  We  will  have  all  that  we  can  desire. 
Our  body  will  be  glorified ;  we  will  be  filled  with 
glory ;  we  can  move  with  the  swiftness  of  thought. 

But  the  child  must  realize  that  the  soul  will 
still  live  after  death !  It  must  know  the  true 
meaning  of  immortality.  We  will  then  still  be 
able  to  know,  to  will,  to  remember,  to  love.  Then 
to  think  that  all  the  joy  and  the  happiness  of 
heaven  will  last  forever  ! 

In  heaven  there  will  be  no  sickness,  no  sorrow, 
no  death.  We  will  see  God  face  to  face.  We  will 
talk  with  God.  We  will  talk  with  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  with  the  angels,  with  all  the  saints,  with  our 
dear  ones.  Thus  the  children  will  learn  to  meditate 
upon  the  joys  of  eternal  life.  It  will  become,  as 
behooves  it,  a  salutary  influence  in  their  lives. 

Hell.  After  the  treatise  on  heaven,  very  prop- 
erly follows  that  on  hell.  To  approach  this 
subject  we  recount  the  fall  of  the  angels.     Now 


160  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

the  children  can  appreciate  better  what  the  angels 
lost  by  their  disobedience.  They  should  now  be 
induced  to  reflect  on  the  eternity  of  hell  and  the 
sufferings  of  the  damned.  But  always  the  love 
and  mercy  of  God  are  kept  before  their  minds. 
God  is  ever  ready  to  pardon  the  sinner.  All  He 
asks  is  that  the  sinner  repent  of  his  sin.  They 
must  be  impressed  with  the  loss  of  the  damned 
who  will  never  see  God.  Hell  must  be  presented 
as  a  reality  to  them.  However,  we  must  ever 
observe  delicacy  toward  the  children  in  this 
regard,  following  the  "rule  of  positives." 

In  speaking  of  heaven  we  always  refer  to  the 
children  by  direct  address ;  but  v/e  speak  of 
those  who  go  to  hell  as  impersonal.  Thus  we 
show  respect  for  the  children  and  observe  the 
law  of  charity  toward  others.  Then,  too,  when  we 
mention  sinners,  we  always  lead  the  children  to 
express  their  wish  to  pray  for  them,  ever  im- 
pressing upon  them  the  love  of  God.  In  their 
charity  they  should  pray  that  the  sinner  be  con- 
verted and  love  God.  In  the  end  the  children 
should  reflect  that  God  loves  all  men ;  He  wants 
them  all  to  go  to  heaven.  He  helps  them,  gives 
them  His  grace.  Hence  those  who  go  to  hell,  go 
of  their  own  fault  because  they  refuse  to  accept 
God's  love. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Commandments;    First  —  Third 

Early  in  life  children  should  assume  the 
proper  attitude  toward  the  Commandments. 
Much  indeed  depends  upon  the  manner  in  which 
men  view  these  divine  regulations,  because  ra- 
tional beings  normally  demand  rational  motives 
for  their  actions.  To  acquire  the  proper  motives 
for  keeping  the  Commandments  we  must  under- 
stand aright  the  purposes  of  God  when  He  gave 
them.  Why,  then,  did  God  impose  these  laws 
upon  mankind.^  Are  they  merely  an  arbitrary 
expression  of  divine  authority.''  Are  they  mere 
penal  laws?  Are  they  useless,  rigorous,  vindic- 
tive rules  given  in  opposition  to  human  nature  ? 

No ;  they  are  none  of  these.  They  are  an  ex- 
pression of  divine  love;  they  manifest  the  love 
and  solicitude  of  a  loving  Father  for  His  children. 
They  were  given  solely  to  direct  us  in  loving 
God.  That  is  all.  They  form  the  law  of  love. 
Christ  expressed  it  in  those  two  Commandments  of 
love:  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
thy  whole   heart,  and  with   thy  whole  soul,  and 

161 


162  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

with  thy  whole  mind.  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself"  (St.  Matt.  22,  37). 

It  is  thus  the  Commandments  must  be  presented 
to  the  children.  They  must  learn  to  see  in  them 
an  expression  of  God's  love  for  us.  God  is  our 
heavenly  Father.  Hence  He  must  act  as  good 
parents  act  toward  their  children.  He  must  be 
solicitous  for  our  well-being ;  He  must  desire  to 
have  us  with  Him.  This  He  does ;  He  has  pre- 
pared heaven  for  us ;  there  we  will  dwell  with 
Him  forever.  Now  He  shows  us  the  way  to 
heaven.  He  defines  the  line  of  conduct  which 
we  must  follow  if  we  would  attain  eternal  happi- 
ness. In  His  love  he  lays  down  for  us  the  rules  of 
virtue  and  morality.  But  we  must  realize  that 
these  rules  of  conduct  are  eminently  reasonable. 
No  other  law  could  be  conceived  that  would  pre- 
pare men  for  an  eternity  of  love.  No  other  form 
of  morality  could  be  invented ;  for  no  standards 
other  than  those  established  by  the  Command- 
ments could  develop  the  nobility  of  man  and  pre- 
pare him  for  union  with  God. 

This  truth  must  become  a  firm  conviction  in 
the  minds  of  the  children.  They  must  know  that 
God  asks  no  vain  service,  no  useless  observance. 
In  the  first  three  Commandments  God  tells  us 
to  serve  Him.     It  is  the  service  of  love,  not  the 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;    FIRST— THIRD     163 

servitude  of  a  slave  for  his  master.  In  no  other 
conceivable  manner  could  we  show  our  love  for 
God.  In  the  remaining  seven  Commandments 
God  asks  us  to  regulate  our  conduct  so  as  to  show 
due  consideration  for  our  fellow  man.  By  this 
means  alone  can  we  show  our  love  for  others. 
And  should  we  not  show  love  for  others  ?  We  are 
all  destined  to  dwell  together  in  everlasting  love. 
God  loves  all  men.  Shall  we  not  love  those  who 
are  beloved  of  God  ?  Our  teaching  must  lead  the 
children  to  conceive  the  Commandments  of  God 
in  this  manner.  Then  we  may  hope  that  God's 
law  will  appeal  to  their  will,  to  their  emotions, 
as  well  as  to  their  intellect. 

In  our  procedure  we  should  assist  the  children 
to  realize  that  the  Ten  Commandments  are  really 
given  by  God.  The  story  of  Moses  as  a  child,  and 
later  as  the  leader  of  his  people,  furnishes  a  narra- 
tive that  will  make  an  interesting  introduction 
to  the  Commandments.  But  to  approach  the 
spirit  of  the  subject,  turn  their  minds  to  their 
own  relations  with  God.  They  are  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  He  is  their  heavenly  Father  who 
has  done  so  much  to  help  them  be  good.  He  gave 
them  parents,  guardian  angels,  divine  revelation, 
the  Church,  and  now  the  Commandments.  All 
this    He   has    done    because    He    loves    us    and 


164  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

would  guide  us  to  heaven.  The  Commandments 
point  out  to  us  the  road  that  leads  to  our  true 
home. 

To  keep  the  Commandments  of  God  makes  us 
happy  even  here  on  earth.  For  indeed  none 
other  than  good  people  are  really  happy  in  this 
world.  God  gave  us  the  Commandments  because 
we  have  free  will.  Those  alone  who  have  a  soul 
can  keep  commandments.  The  dumb  animals 
have  no  commandments.  But  we  are  superior 
creatures,  capable  of  observing  the  will  of  God. 
We  need  God's  grace  to  keep  the  Commandments ; 
this  the  children  must  realize.  We  pray  for 
God's  grace  so  that  we  will  be  able  always  to  keep 
the  Commandments.  We  show  our  love  for  God 
when  we  keep  the  Commandments.  It  was  thus 
the  saints  showed  their  love  for  God.  We  make 
this  teaching  concrete  for  the  children,  leading 
them  to  reflect  upon  those  things  which  they  can 
now  do  to  serve  God  and  thus  to  show  their  love 
for  Him.  Thus  the  Commandments  are  presented 
to  the  children  in  a  setting  of  divine  love.  This 
is  the  true  concept  of  the  Decalogue. 

The  First  Commandment  bids  us  honor  God  as 
our  Lord  and  Creator.  We  serve  God  because 
we  love  Him;  we  worship  God  to  honor  Him 
and  to  express  our  devotion  for  Him ;  we  venerate 


THE  COMIVIANDMENTS;    FIRST— THIRD     165 

the  angels  and  saints  because  they  are  dear  to  God. 
To  prepare  the  minds  of  the  children  for  the  First 
Commandment  we  turn  their  thoughts  to  the 
works  of  creation.  After  considering  the  wonders 
of  the  created  world  and  God's  position  in  the 
universe,  they  will  readily  comprehend  the  mean- 
ing of  those  words  :  "I  am  the  Lord  thy  God." 

They  should  now  grasp  the  idea  of  worship. 
They  should  realize  that  worship  is  a  necessary 
sequence  of  our  relation  to  God,  We  owe  to 
Him  all  that  we  have  and  all  that  we  can  hope  to 
have.  We  must  acknowledge  His  divine  bounty ; 
we  must  thank  Him ;  we  must  render  Him  homage ; 
we  must  pray  to  Him ;  we  must  believe  in  Him, 
love  Him,  and  serve  Him.  But  the  pagans 
worshiped  false  gods ;  they  made  gods  from 
wood  and  stone;  they  even  worshiped  devils. 
In  view  of  this,  the  children  will  easily  under- 
stand those  other  words:  "Thou  shalt  not  have 
strange  gods  before  me." 

Sacrifice  is  the  highest  act  of  worship  that  can 
be  shown  to  God.  Hence  they  must  know  the 
meaning  of  sacrifice.  The  idea  is  not  introduced 
in  the  first  course.  There  we  prepare  the  chil- 
dren's minds  for  it.  Later  we  lead  them  to  con- 
sider the  sacrifices  offered  from  the  time  of  Adam 
to    Calvary.     Thus    they    arrive,    by   a   natural 


166  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

progression  of  ideas,  at  the  concept  of  the  Sacrifice 
of  the  Mass. 

Here  especially  the  children  learn  the  meaning 
of  faith,  hope,  and  charity.  First  the  reality 
is  presented  to  them.  From  this  the  idea  is 
engendered  in  them.  When,  then,  they  learn 
the  term  they  know  its  meaning.  They  learn 
first  that  they  must  believe  all  that  God  has 
taught  us  by  revelation  and  the  Church.  It  is 
then  only  that  they  learn  that  this  means  to  have 
faith.  Thus,  too,  they  learn  to  reflect  upon  the 
goodness  of  God  and  His  promises.  They  con- 
sider how  good  God  is  and  how  sure  they  can  be 
that  He  will  keep  His  promises.  This  is  hope. 
In  the  same  manner  they  learn  the  meaning  of 
charity.  This  teaching  is  at  once  applied  for 
them  in  the  acts  of  faith,  hope,  and  love. 

Thus  with  the  First  Commandment  are  asso- 
ciated the  ideas  of  creation,  God's  majesty,  power, 
goodness,  and  love,  worship,  prayer,  honor,  adora- 
tion, sacrifice,  faith,  hope,  charity,  veneration  of  the 
saints,  and  the  like.  In  all  we  present  the  matter 
to  them  from  the  standpoint  of  their  own  lives. 

The  Second  Commandment  bids  us  honor  God's 
name.  God's  holy  name  must  conjure  up  to  the 
mind  all  that  is  good  and  holy.  Just  as  the  name 
of  mother,  in  times  of  trial  and  sorrow,  brings 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;    FIRST— THIRD     167 

back  memories  of  tender  home  love  and  recalls 
all  that  was  sweet  and  ennobling  in  our  early 
Hfe,  so  must  the  name  of  God  move  our  mind  and 
emotions  in  the  broader  spheres  of  life.  The 
children  must  learn  to  love,  honor,  and  respect 
God's  holy  name.  The  mere  mention  of  this 
sacred  name  should  produce  feelings  of  reverence 
and  devotion  in  us ;  it  should  inspire  us  to  virtue ; 
it  should  be  filled  with  tenderness  for  us  ;  it  should 
have  a  holy  and  a  salutary  influence  upon  our  life. 
As  a  sick  child  calls  upon  a  loving  parent,  so 
should  we  invoke  the  name  of  God  in  times  of 
trial  and  sorrow.  In  the  hour  of  joy  and  success  we 
should  pronounce  God's  holy  name  with  love  and 
gratitude.  It  is  the  name  from  which  we  should 
draw  strength  and  courage  in  our  struggles.  It 
should  express  to  us  all  that  is  good,  holy,  merci- 
ful, bountiful,  loving.  In  it  we  should  find  the 
cause  of  our  hope,  the  guarantee  of  our  faith.  It 
should  be  for  us  the  synonym  of  love  and  charity. 
The  sacred  name  of  God  should  impel  us  to  virtue 
and  devotion:  "In  the  night  I  have  remembered 
Thy  name,  O  Lord,  and  have  kept  Thy  law" 
(Psalms  118,  55).  The  sacred  name  of  Jesus 
means  Saviour.  It  is  for  us  the  pledge  of  eternal 
life:  "And  all  they  that  love  Thy  name  shall 
glory  in  Thee"   (Psalms  5,   12).     "In  the  name 


168  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  those  that 
are  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  under  the  earth" 
(Phihppians  2,  10).  "For  there  is  no  other  name 
under  heaven  given  to  men  whereby  we  must  be 
saved"  (Acts  4,  12). 

Blasphemy  and  profanity  are  all  too  common 
to-day,  even  among  certain  Christians.  Where- 
fore it  behooves  us  to  implant  deep  in  the  hearts 
of  the  children  the  motives  that  will  impel  them 
to  honor,  reverence,  and  love  God's  holy  name. 
To  prepare  their  minds  for  these  considerations 
we  lead  them  to  reflect  upon  the  respect  we  show 
for  those  whom  we  love.  We  are  glad  when  others 
speak  well  of  father,  mother,  sisters,  brothers, 
our  friends,  priests,  bishops,  the  Pope,  the  Church. 

Thus  from  the  life  of  the  child  we  proceed  to 
the  fatherhood  of  God.  After  dwelling  upon  the 
thought  of  His  love  and  bounty,  we  pass  to  the 
consideration  of  His  sacred  name  and  its  meaning 
for  us.  In  detail  we  lead  them  to  reflect  upon 
all  that  God's  holy  name  signifies  in  our  lives. 
Associated  with  God's  name  must  be  all  that  is 
good  and  holy.  It  should  be  linked  together  with 
all  the  teachings  of  faith.  Throughout  all  the 
centuries  it  has  been  held  in  love  and  benediction 
by  those  who  have  been  faithful  to  God. 

The  holy  name  of  Jesus  is  presented  in  a  beauti- 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;    FIRST— THIRD     169 

ful  mother  picture  at  Bethlehem.  There  sits  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary  holding  her  divine  Infant  in 
her  arms.  The  imagination  can  easily  travel  back 
and  hear  her  calling  Him  by  that  sweet  name  as 
she  sings  Him  to  sleep.  St.  Joseph,  too,  utters 
that  holy  name  with  love  and  tenderness.  Thus 
our  teaching  is  made  concrete.  But,  as  always,  our 
teaching  must  be  applied  to  the  lives  of  the  chil- 
dren. They  call  upon  the  holy  name  at  prayer. 
Boys  lift  their  hats,  all  bow  their  heads  when  the 
sacred  name  of  Jesus  is  pronounced.  And  thus 
it  follows  that  we  should  honor  all  that  is  bound 
up  with  that  holy  name.  It  is  for  this  reason  that 
we  speak  reverently  of  God's  virgin  Mother  and 
utter  her  holy  name  with  love  and  veneration. 
By  the  same  token  we  speak  respectfully  of  the 
Chiu'ch,  the  altar,  the  sacraments,  priests,  bishops, 
and  all  holy  things. 

The  Third  Commandment  bids  us  sanctify  the 
Lord's  day.  This  means  that  one  day  in  the 
week  belongs  wholly  to  God.  He  Himself  has 
decreed  it.  On  that  day  we  are  to  lay  aside  our 
earthly  cares  and  spend  the  day  in  His  service. 
It  is  not,  therefore,  a  day  of  recreation  and  pleasure, 
as  the  modern  world  would  have  it,  but  a  day  set 
aside  by  divine  ordinance  for  the  worship  of  God. 
The  letter  of  the  law,  defined  by  the  Church,  says 


170  THE   TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

that  we  must  hear  Mass  on  Sundays  and  Holy 
Days ;  but  the  spirit  of  the  law  demands  that 
these  days  be  truly  sanctified  by  prayer  and 
divine  worship. 

Our  approach  to  the  idea  of  the  Lord's  day  is 
from  the  days  of  the  week.  God  allows  us  to 
devote  six  days  of  the  week  to  our  material  cares. 
One  day  only  He  asks  us  to  spend  entirely  for  Him. 
On  that  day  we  go,  as  it  were,  on  a  visit  to  our 
heavenly  Father  with  whom  we  hope  to  dwell  for 
eternity. 

The  children  should  here  learn  to  reflect  upon 
the  meaning  of  attending  divine  services.  The 
church  is  God's  house ;  we  go  thither  to  show  our 
love  and  devotion  for  Him  ;  there  is  offered  up  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Mass ;  there  we  all  unite  in  prayer 
and  thanksgiving  to  God.  We  are  bound  to  go  to 
Mass  on  Sundays  and  Holy  Days  ;  but  it  is  good 
also  to  go  to  vespers  and  devotions.  The  Holy 
Days  are  to  be  kept  as  are  the  Sundays.  They 
are  special  feasts  on  which  to  show  our  love  for 
God,  for  His  blessed  Mother,  and  the  saints. 

Very  early  the  children  must  learn  to  realize 
the  importance  of  observing  the  Lord's  day.  They 
should  know  that  headaches  and  bad  weather 
and  the  like  do  not  excuse  them  from  their  duty 
to  attend  Mass.     They  should  also  have  a  clear 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;    FIRST— THIRD     171 

understanding  of  the  precept  to  avoid  servile 
work.  Here  we  must  enter  into  particulars  so 
as  to  give  them  definite  ideas  on  the  matter. 
They  should  know  that  to  be  forced  by  necessity 
to  work  does  not  constitute  a  sin ;  but  even  here 
they  should  attend  divine  services  in  spirit  if 
they  are  unable  to  go  to  church  before  going  to 
work. 

These  three  Commandments  define  our  direct 
duty  to  God.  Each  of  them  is  a  manifestation  of 
God's  love.  In  the  service  which  God  demands  of 
us  love  alone  is  required.  These  Commandments 
are  simply  means  of  uniting  us  with  God  in  love. 
It  is  thus  the  children  should  conceive  them. 

As  our  courses  develop  we  introduce,  at  every 
stage,  scriptural,  historical,  and  liturgical  ideas. 
It  impresses  the  little  ones  deeply  to  learn  that 
the  saints  and  martyrs  observed  these  same 
Commandments.  They,  too,  worshiped  God  by 
faith,  hope,  and  charity.  They,  too,  loved  and 
honored  His  holy  name.  They,  too,  sanctified 
the  Lord's  day  by  attending  Mass  and  by  prayer 
and  devotions. 

And  always  we  ascribe  the  faithful  observance 
of  the  Commandments  to  the  children.  We 
apply  the  spirit  of  God's  law  to  their  lives.  Thus 
they   obey    God   at   the   present   moment.     The 


172  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

love  of  God  that  has  been  engendered  in  their 
hearts  prompts  them  to  serve  God  now.  If,  then, 
they  serve  God  in  the  present,  from  their  own 
interior  motives,  we  may  well  hope  that  they  will 
serve  Him  throughout  their  lives. 

In  all  they  must  have  the  correct  mental  atti- 
tude. They  must  realize  that  by  means  of  their 
service  they  are  showing  their  love  of  God.  They 
must  reflect  that  God  loved  them  first  and  that 
now  they  are  but  returning  His  love.  Thus  our 
teaching  must  ever  lead  them  to  progress  simulta- 
neously in  knowledge  and  in  love,  in  faith  and  in 
practice.  Their  lives  and  their  conduct  will  be 
the  measure  of  our  teaching.  If  they  are  devoted 
to  God  and  His  holy  law,  we  know  that  God  has 
blessed  our  teaching  and  made  it  effective. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  Commandments;    Fourth  —  Tenth 

In  the  last  seven  Commandments  God  lias 
defined  our  duty  toward  our  fellow  men ;  thus 
we  have  divine  guidance  in  our  relations  to  others. 
Though  the  Commandments  are  short  and  con- 
cise, they  embrace  all  the  situations  of  life.  These 
we  must  develop  for  the  children  to  enable  them 
to  understand  the  spirit  of  God's  law. 

In  this  simple  precept,  "Honor  thy  father  and 
thy  mother,"  is  contained  the  principle  upon 
which  human  society  is  based.  The  family  is 
the  unit  of  society,  and  the  Fourth  Command- 
ment is  God's  explicit  ordinance  to  conserve  this 
holy  institution.  God  himself  places  parents  over 
their  children.  Parents  in  the  home  represent 
God  to  their  children ;  they  rule  them  by  divine 
authority.  Wherefore  the  children  have  both 
natural  and  supernatural  motives  to  love,  honor, 
and  obey  their  parents. 

The  approach  to  this  sublime  teaching  can 
readily  be  made  by  beginning  with  the  babyhood 
of  the  children.     Going  back  in  thought  to  the 

173 


174  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

days  of  their  infancy  they  reflect  that  God  gave 
them  to  their  parents.  At  the  same  time,  they 
belong  to  God.  Their  parents,  then,  are  taking 
care  of  them  for  God.  Here  their  reflections 
turn  to  the  home  and  its  many  blessings.  All 
this  comes  from  God.  He  teaches  their  parents 
to  love  them  and  gives  the  members  of  the  family 
grace  to  love  one  another.  Now  comes  the 
opportunity  to  make  the  children  realize  that 
the  Sacrament  of  Matrimony  is  the  foundation 
of  the  Christian  home. 

Now,  too,  they  can  learn  the  constitution  of 
this  little  society,  the  family.  The  father  is  the 
head  who  rules  the  members ;  the  mother  is  the 
helpmate  of  her  husband.  The  children  obey 
God  when  they  obey  their  parents ;  for  it  was 
God  Himself  who  constituted  the  family.  The 
Catholic  Church  makes  God's  will  known  to 
parents ;  it  tells  them  how  they  are  to  prepare 
these  children  for  their  eternal  abode  with  God 
in  heaven. 

Under  the  heading  of  this  Commandment  the 
children  should  be  led  to  consider  the  ideal  Chris- 
tian home.  They  must  learn  to  know  that  love, 
obedience,  kindness,  consideration,  and  generosity 
make  happy  homes.  They  should  learn  to  be 
cheerful    and    social    in    the    home ;     they    must 


THE  COMMANDMENTS;  FOURTH— TENTH    175 

acquire  the  motives  for  loving  one  another ;  they 
must  learn  to  speak  kindly  and  in  a  pleasing  voice ; 
they  must  be  gentle  at  play ;  they  must  try  to 
please  others ;  they  must  be  generous  and  for- 
giving. In  a  word,  they  should  learn  to  be  polite 
in  the  home.  The  children  should  learn  to  help 
their  little  brothers  and  sisters.  They  should 
become  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  home; 
they  should  learn  to  help  their  parents  and 
to  pray  for  them.  The  home  of  the  Holy  Family 
might  be  proposed  as  a  model  for  their  considera- 
tion. 

Thus  are  grouped  around  the  Fourth  Com- 
mandment the  ideas  of  God's  love,  of  home,  and 
happiness.  This  should  engender  in  the  chil- 
dren the  proper  motives  for  observing  this  divine 
Commandment.  Indeed  the  whole  force  of  reli- 
gion must  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  moral  law 
and  upon  each  precept  thereof.  It  is  thus  only 
that  we  can  hope  to  make  our  conduct  com- 
patible with  our  belief  and  knowledge.  If  we 
know  God,  we  must  needs  love  Him ;  and  if  we 
really  love  Him  we  will  serve  Him.  Thus  the 
love  of  God  alone  should  impel  us  to  keep  the 
Commandments . 

The  Fifth  Commandment^  '*  Thou  shalt  not  kill," 
is  intended  to  give  us  the  proper  attitude  toward 


176  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

human  life.  God  is  the  author  of  our  Hfe.  Hence 
He  alone  has  the  right  to  determine  the  ultimate 
aim  and  purpose  of  our  life.  God  still  retains 
supreme  dominion  over  our  life.  Wherefore  we 
are  responsible  to  Him  for  it ;  we  must  take  proper 
care  of  it  and  employ  it  according  to  His  divine 
will.  Life  is  a  preparation  for  eternity.  We  are 
here  in  the  service  of  God,  and  hence  in  justice 
to  Him  we  must  respect  the  life  and  health  of  all 
men.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  Fifth  Command- 
ment. 

To  approach  this  teaching  we  go  back  again 
in  thought  to  infancy.  The  same  parental  care 
that  prompts  good  fathers  and  mothers  to  nourish 
and  clothe  their  little  ones,  to  spend  the  night  by 
their  bed  when  they  are  sick,  to  guard  them  from 
injury  and  accident,  prompted  God  to  give  us  the 
Fifth  Commandment.  He  is  a  loving  Father 
concerned  for  the  welfare  of  His  children.  God 
shows  this  love  and  care  for  all ;  hence  we  must 
respect  the  life  and  health  and  the  character  and 
good  name  of  others.  And  for  motives  the  chil- 
dren learn  the  true  meaning  of  life ;  it  is  the  pre- 
lude to  eternal  life ;  it  is  a  gift  of  God.  Here  the 
children  can  readily  acquire  the  proper  attitude 
toward  the  principle  of  propagation.  It  is  God 
who  wills  that  babies  be  born  into  the  world. 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;   FOURTH— TENTH     177 

Those  who  are  unwilhng  to  take  care  of  these 
Httle  ones  for  God  break  the  Fifth  Commandment. 

Thus,  as  in  the  other  Commandments,  the 
observance  of  the  Fifth  Commandment  is  based 
upon  the  love  of  God.  The  treatment  of  this 
Commandment  embraces  the  seven  corporal  and 
the  seven  spiritual  works  of  mercy ;  it  also  ex- 
tends to  many  phases  of  industrial  and  social 
life.  Here,  too,  we  must  touch  upon  the  doctrine 
of  peace  and  hope.  Men  must  have  hope  to 
enable  them  to  bear  the  trials  and  burdens  of  life. 
All  this  must  be  engendered  in  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  the  children  if  they  are  to  have  the  proper 
attitude  toward  human  life  on  earth. 

The  Sixth  and  Ninth  Commandments  express 
the  law  of  purity  and  chastity.  Of  all  God's 
earthly  creatures,  man  alone  must  control  his 
appetites ;  all  other  creatures  of  earth  attain  the 
end  for  which  they  were  created  by  satisfying 
their  appetites  and  desires.  But  unlike  the  lower 
animals,  man  possesses  reason,  and  he  has  been 
given  a  supernatural  destiny.  Now  God  com- 
mands him  to  follow  the  dictates  of  reason  and 
to  control  the  appetites  of  the  body.  This  is  the 
foundation  of  the  Sixth  and  Ninth  Command- 
ments. 

But  this  is  also  based  upon  another  principle : 


178  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

God  has  determined  the  use  and  the  apphcation 
of  all  things  that  He  has  created.  It  is  from  this 
principle  that  we  introduce  the  children  to  the 
great  precepts  of  moral  purity.  They  can  readily 
understand  that  fire,  water,  food,  and  the  like  must 
be  used  properly ;  else  they  will  be  harmful, 
cause  pain  and  suffering,  perhaps.  Ice  cream  and 
cake  are  inexpressibly  pleasing  to  the  child's 
palate,  yet  if  taken  immoderately  they  will  often 
cause  excruciating  pains  in  some  little  stomach. 
Why  should  it  be  so  ^  It  is  the  misuse  of  things. 
Why  should  the  fire  burn  those  little  fingers  that 
were  placed  on  the  hot  stove  ?  There  is  no  other 
plausible  explanation :  It  was  God  who  deter- 
mined the  use  of  things.  He  determined  not 
only  the  use  of  the  material  things  around  us,  but 
also  the  use  of  our  mind  and  our  body.  And  why 
not  ^     All  these  things  belong  to  Him. 

From  these  premises  it  is  easy  to  understand 
how  men  can  commit  sin  by  mere  thought.  They 
are  abusing  the  faculty  which  God  gave  them  for 
the  contemplation  of  the  good  and  the  true.  It 
is  the  same  with  the  human  body ;  God  has  deter- 
mined the  use  of  all  its  powers  and  faculties.  To 
use  them  in  any  way  other  than  that  set  down  by 
God  is  to  abuse  them.  In  the  light  of  this  truth, 
the  body  is  something  more  than  a  plaything ; 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;  FOURTH— TENTH     179 

it  is  an  instrument  of  eternal  salvation.  The 
five  senses  are  the  avenues  by  which  the  beauty 
of  virtue  and  truth  enters  our  soul.  Then,  of 
course,  those  who  make  the  senses  the  medium  of 
corruption  for  their  soul,  disobey  God,  commit  sin. 

It  is  thus  we  should  present  the  doctrine  of 
purity.  The  children,  feeling  the  presence  of 
God  in  their  lives  and  knowing  their  true  relation 
to  Him,  must  reflect  upon  their  proper  attitude 
toward  their  own  mind  and  body.  Thus  will  the 
command  to  curb  their  lower  appetites  become 
reasonable  to  their  minds ;  they  will  acquire  the 
supernatural  m^otives  necessary  for  the  observance 
of  purity.  These  matters  should  be  treated  from 
a  positive  standpoint.  It  is  purity,  not  impurity, 
that  we  would  teach.  Our  hope  is  so  to  inculcate 
the  principles  of  purity  in  their  lives  that  impurity 
may  not  enter,  just  as  darkness  is  banished  by 
light. 

There  are  those  who  advocate  the  early  enlight- 
enment of  children  upon  the  functions  of  procrea- 
tion. They  say :  "Better  to  get  it  properly  from 
us  than  to  learn  it  from  the  indecent  conversa- 
tions of  the  unscrupulous  or  the  depraved."  But 
alas,  this  "kindl}^  enlightenment"  will  not  put  a 
stop  to  the  "indecent  conversation  method." 
Thus  the  children  will  have  a  twofold  source  of 


180  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

satisfaction  upon  sexual  matters,  the  second  of 
which  will  undoubtedly  become  more  interesting 
because  of  the  first.  In  due  time  the  children  will 
learn  that  certain  functions  of  life  belong  exclusively 
to  the  marriage  state.  To  act  or  think  contrary 
to  this  divine  ordinance  is  to  disobey  God  in  a 
grave  matter ;  it  is  to  commit  a  mortal  sin.  With 
this  principle  firmly  established  in  their  minds 
the  children  will  be  able  to  judge  correctly  the 
surreptitious  information  they  have  acquired  in 
the  street. 

Human  motives  are  not  enough  for  the  observ- 
ance of  these  two  Commandments.  Supernatural 
motives  are  necessary ;  for  the  observance  of 
these  Commandments  entails  the  subduing  and 
the  control  of  human  nature.  Besides  these 
general  principles,  the  children  should  know 
the  particularized  truth  of  purity.  They  must 
learn  to  understand  that  these  fundamental  prin- 
ciples should  extend  to  all  their  activities  of  life. 
They  should  know  just  what  it  means  to  rule  the 
body  by  the  soul,  to  practice  self-denial,  to  do 
penance. 

There  is  indeed  reason  in  penance  and  self- 
abnegation,  such  as  the  saints  practiced,  since 
these  help  men  control  their  bodily  appetites. 
The  saints  were  prudent  indeed  when  they  re- 


THE   COMMANDMENTS;   FOURTH— TENTH     181 

jected  the  joys  and  pleasures  of  this  world,  be- 
cause by  so  doing  they  lived  more  in  accord  with 
the  spirit,  and  cultivated  to  a  higher  degree  the 
angelic  virtue.  In  the  light  of  this  teaching  we 
can  understand  the  philosophy  of  the  Gospel. 
We  can  realize  better  the  meaning  of  Christ's 
words:  "If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and 
follow  me"  (St.  Luke  9,  23). 

The  Seventh  Commandment  is  the  law  of  justice. 
Through  a  competent  knowledge  of  this  precept 
the  children  should  acquire  the  principles  of 
honesty,  honor,  and  trustworthiness.  We  pre- 
pare the  children  for  this  teaching  by  diverting 
their  minds  to  their  own  little  possessions.  Thus 
they  arrive  naturally  at  the  idea  of  possession  and 
thence  at  the  idea  of  rights.  Then  they  are  pre- 
pared to  learn  that  our  heavenly  Father  in  His 
desire  to  protect  our  rights  has  given  us  the 
Seventh  Commandment :   "Thou  slialt  not  steal." 

In  this,  as  always,  we  are  appealing  to  their 
emotions.  All  the  Commandments  .  are  mani- 
festations of  God's  love.  Here  again  is  proof : 
He  wants  others  to  respect  what  belongs  to  us. 
Of  course  this  implies  that  we  respect  the  rights 
and  property  of  others.  To  impress  the  idea  of 
property  upon  them  we  induce  them  to  tell  us 


182  THE   TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

about  those  things  which  they  prize  most  —  their 
toys,  their  playthings  perhaps.  From  this  it  is 
easy  to  pass  to  the  consideration  of  private  prop- 
erty. Here  we  take  the  home  as  the  basis  of  our 
reflection.  Private  property  is  necessary  because 
of  the  family.  We  must  have  homes  ;  for  indeed 
the  home  is  the  abode  of  the  family,  and  the 
family  is  the  basis,  the  unit,  of  human  society. 

Again  we  have  an  opportunity  to  cause  reflec- 
tion upon  the  ideal  home;  but  now  from  a  dif- 
ferent standpoint.  Around  the  home  can  well  be 
grouped  all  the  ideas  of  justice  and  honesty.  The 
home,  too,  is  the  center  of  their  present  life.  They 
can  there  practice,  in  the  living  present,  the  prin- 
ciples upon  which  they  are  reflecting. 

It  is  not  merely  respect  for  the  things  of  others 
that  we  would  here  inculcate.  We  would  lead 
them  to  consider  all  the  phases  of  family  life, 
paying  rent  promptly,  avoiding  debts,  practicing 
economy,  and  the  like.  These  matters  apply 
directly  to  the  children  in  many  ways.  They 
must  learn  to  take  proper  care  of  their  shoes  and 
clothing,  keeping  them  neat  and  clean.  They 
must  keep  from  breaking  dishes  and  other  things 
in  the  household.  They  must  learn  to  keep  the 
house  tidy  and  to  avoid  wasting  food.  They 
must  help  the  poor. 


THE  COMMANDMENTS;    FOURTH— TENTH    183 

Then  the  children  should  consider  the  particular 
ideas  of  justice  and  honesty.  They  should  learn 
to  avoid  cheating,  extortion,  false  weights  and 
measures.  They  must  learn  to  be  honest  in  their 
work  so  that  later  they  may  know  both  how  to 
pay  an  honest  wage  if  they  are  employers,  and 
to  do  honest  work  if  they  are  employees.  They 
must  know  their  obligation  to  return  lost  articles. 
In  a  word,  they  must  learn  to  live  as  good  citizens, 
respecting  the  law  of  the  land  and  the  rights  of 
their  fellow  man.  Thus  they  see  that  God  in 
His  goodness  has  defined  for  them  the  attitude 
they  should  take  toward  the  rights  and  property 
of  others.  They  see  in  this  God's  desire  to  lead 
them  to  eternal  life  with  Him  in  heaven. 

The  Eighth  Commandment  lays  down  the  law 
of  truth.  God  made  our  intellects  for  truth. 
All  truth  comes  from  God.  God  gave  us  a  mind 
with  which  to  know  the  truth  and  the  power  of 
speech  wherewith  to  express  it.  God  loves  the 
truth ;  the  devil  hates  it.  When  we  tell  the 
truth  we  are  obeying  God,  observing  the  Eighth 
Commandment. 

Again  we  consider  that  God  has  determined  the 
use  of  all  things ;  this  is  our  angle  of  approach. 
God  gave  us  a  soul,  a  mind,  the  power  to  think. 
Even  the  truth  that  two  plus  two   equals  four 


184  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

comes  from  God's  mind.  When  we  tell  the  truth 
we  are  obeying  God ;  we  are  using  our  mind  and 
our  speech  as  He  intended.  But  the  children 
must  also  learn  to  love  the  truth.  By  a  knowledge 
of  the  truth  they  shall  be  saved.  God  himself 
revealed  the  truth  to  us ;  He  sent  the  Catholic 
Church  to  teach  us  the  truth.  The  martyrs 
died  out  of  love  for  the  truth. 

The  children  must  learn  to  tell  the  truth  even 
in  the  most  difficult  circumstances ;  they  must 
have  courage  in  truthfulness.  The  example  of 
the  martyrs  will  help  them  realize  this.  Truthful- 
ness must  become  a  quality  of  their  lives.  They 
must  therefore  know  that  falsehood  comes  from  the 
devil,  the  "father  of  lies."  They  must  understand 
the  evil  of  calumny  and  detraction.  They  must 
also  know  their  duty  to  keep  confided  secrets 
and  to  avoid  curious  seeking  into  the  private 
affairs  of  others. 

Again  we  have  a  manifestation  of  divine  love  in 
this  Commandment.  This  must  always  be  the 
motivation  for  the  observance  of  the  Command- 
ments. God  would  have  us  love  the  truth;  for 
thereby  we  will  obey  Him  and  be  guided  by  Him 
on  our  way  to  our  true  home  in  heaven.  It  is 
always  the  loving  Father  guiding  His  children. 

The  Tenth  Commandment  expresses  the  law  of 


THE  COMMANDMENTS;    FOURTH— TENTH    185 

contentment.  God  gives  us  all  that  we  have ! 
He  would  have  us  be  contented  even  though  others 
possess  more  than  we ;  He  knows  best  what  is  good 
for  us.  Then,  we  are  not  to  expect  complete 
retribution  here  but  in  eternity. 

We  prepare  the  minds  of  the  children  for  this 
teaching  by  inducing  them  to  reflect  upon  our 
relation  to  God.  God  is  our  Father ;  we  are  all 
His  children.  Hence  we  are  all  like  brothers  and 
sisters  who  love  one  another.  If  God  is  so  good, 
why,  then,  should  we  envy  others  what  God  has 
given  them?  God  permits  some  of  His  children 
to  be  poor  so  that  those  who  have  more  can  help 
them.     It  is  thus  God  cares  for  all  His  children. 

In  this  Commandment  we  lead  the  children  to 
consider  all  the  phases  of  contentment  and  pre- 
pare them  to  avoid  all  the  channels  of  envy.  To 
do  this  we  must  induce  the  children  to  reflect 
upon  the  proper  attitude  toward  the  things  of  this 
world.  They  must  learn  in  their  early  years  to 
keep  from  setting  their  hearts  upon  material 
things.  They  must  learn  that  virtue  alone  can 
bring  peace  and  contentment  in  this  world. 
Hope  must  be  engendered  in  their  hearts,  hope  of 
eternal  bliss  with  God.  Thus  they  will  be  con- 
tented amidst  the  inequalities  that  confront  them 
in  this  world.     They  will  find  their  joy  in  their 


186  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

love  of  God  and  in  their  hope  of  being  united  with 
Him  forever.  They  will  be  happy  in  keeping  God's 
Commandments . 

Thus  the  Commandments  will  be  woven  into 
the  lives  of  the  children.  They  will  form  the 
motivation  of  their  conduct.  A  supernatural  ele- 
ment will  have  been  assimilated  in  their  lives. 
They  will  look  upon  the  moral  law,  expressed  in 
the  Ten  Commandments,  as  a  means  of  showing 
their  love  for  God.  By  this  means  they  will  have 
assumed  the  proper  attitude  toward  the  moral 
life. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Sin  —  Original  Sin 

Sin  is  a  great  problem.  Men  of  the  world 
differ  greatly  in  their  concepts  of  this  funda- 
mental evil ;  some  would  limit  its  meaning  to 
that  of  a  mere  social  offense ;  others  call  it  a  mere 
blunder  in  life.  Then  there  are  many  who  deny 
its  existence,  maintaining  that  virtue  is  its  own 
reward  and  vice  its  own  punishment. 

Furthermore,  sin  is  the  nodus  of  the  harassing 
problem  called  the  "problem  of  evil."  Why, 
they  ask,  did  not  God  make  men  and  angels  so 
perfect  that  they  could  not  sin  ?  Indeed  God  knew, 
when  He  created  men  and  angels,  that  they  would 
fall  into  sin ;  He  knew  that  many  of  them  would 
be  condemned  to  hell  for  eternity ;  He  knew  that 
sin  would  bring  misery  and  death  upon  the  human 
race.  How,  then,  could  an  infinitely  good  God 
who  is,  at  the  same  time,  infinitely  powerful  admit 
the  possibility  of  this  unspeakable  evil  in  His 
creatures  ?  God  is  a  loving  Father  to  His  rational 
creatures.  How  could  He  allow  the  thought  of 
sin  to  enter  the  minds  of  His  noblest  creatures  ? 

187 


188  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

It  were,  seemingly,  as  if  an  earthly  father  al- 
lowed a  deadly  serpent  to  lie  coiled  in  the  midst 
of  his  little  ones. 

This  is  the  problem  which  unaided  reason  has 
never  been  able  to  solve.  In  vain  have  men  denied 
the  existence  of  God ;  in  vain  have  they  invented 
the  demiurge,  father  of  evil ;  the  problem  of  evil 
is  still  unsolved  to  them.  Moral  evil  or  sin  is 
the  only  real  evil  in  the  world.  Other  evils, 
physical  and  intellectual  and  material,  are  but 
relative  evils ;  they  are  the  product  of  moral 
evil.  Wherefore  our  children  must  know  not 
only  the  meaning  of  sin,  but  they  must  understand 
also  the  principles  by  which  to  withstand  false 
ethical  ideas. 

Sin,  considered  apart  from  God's  love,  mercy, 
and  justice,  is  an  enigma.  In  other  w^ords,  if 
we  are  first  convinced  that  God  loves  us,  we  will 
believe  firmly  and  constantly  that  God,  in  His 
own  infinite  wisdom,  knows  how  to  bestow  His 
divine  love  upon  creatures  capable  of  sin.  In 
like  manner  we  know  that  there  is  no  contradiction 
between  the  infinite  mercy  and  justice  of  God  and 
the  possibility  of  sin  in  man. 

To  those  who  have  truly  known  God  the  problem 
of  evil  has  never  been  a  stumblingblock.  For, 
knowing  God,  they  loved  Him ;   and  loving  Him, 


SIN  — ORIGINAL  SIN  189 

they  believed  in  Him  and  served  Him.  It  is 
true,  the  greatest  saints  have  groaned  under  the 
misery  of  sin.  Says  St.  Paul:  "There  was  given 
me  a  sting  of  my  flesh,  an  angel  of  Satan,  to  buffet 
me.  For  which  thing  thrice  I  besought  the  Lord, 
that  it  might  depart  from  me.  And  He  said : 
My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee ;  for  power  is  made 
perfect  in  infirmity.  Gladly  therefore  will  I 
glory  in  my  infirmities  that  the  power  of  Christ 
may  dwell  in  me"  (2  Cor.  12,  7-9).  God's 
grace  is  sufficient  for  us  ;  yet  we  do  not  comprehend 
the  inscrutable  ways  of  God.  To  mere  human 
reason  it  would  seem  advisable  to  abolish  the  very 
possibility  of  moral  evil.  But  that  same  reason 
tells  us  that  God  is  infinitely  good  and  bountiful ; 
wherefore  we  must  trust  in  Him.  We  know  that 
whatever  He  does  is  best. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts  we  must  present  the 
doctrine  of  sin  to  the  children  very  circumspectly. 
We  must  first  so  imbue  their  minds  and  hearts 
with  God's  love  and  tenderness  that  the  "problem 
of  evil"  can  never  rise  to  haunt  them.  They 
must  learn  so  to  trust  in  our  heavenly  Father  that 
the  thought  of  injustice  can  never  be  associated 
with  Him.  They  must  learn  to  reflect  that  the 
ways  of  God  "are  inscrutable"  (Romans  11,  33) 
and  that  many  problems  of  life  will  be  solved  in 


190  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

eternity  alone.  They  must  realize  that  God  has 
not  seen  fit  to  reveal  to  us  the  mystery  of  moral 
evil  and  eternal  damnation.  With  this  attitude 
of  mind  they  will  be  prepared  to  cling  to  God  and 
combat  the  very  thought  of  sin. 

Sin  must  ever  be  presented  as  disobedience 
against  God ;  any  thought,  word,  or  deed  con- 
trary to  God's  law  is  a  sin.  Those  who  commit 
mortal  sin  turn  away  from  God ;  they  lose  God's 
grace.  Those  who  die  in  mortal  sin  go  to  hell 
where  they  will  be  separated  from  God  forever. 
God  is  always  willing  to  forgive  repentant  sinners. 
Venial  sin  diminishes  our  love  for  God  and  puts  us 
in  danger  of  committing  mortal  sin.  The  devil 
tries  to  lead  people  into  sin  so  as  to  take  them  away 
from  God.  Sin  is  the  worst  evil  in  the  world. 
Happy  are  those  who  avoid  sin  all  their  life. 

This  is  a  synopsis  of  the  teaching  on  sin.  Our 
approach  to  this  teaching  is  through  the  knowl- 
edge of  God's  love  and  care  for  us  which  already 
exists  in  the  minds  of  the  children.  For  God  we 
are  administrators  of  material  things  —  of  our 
body,  our  soul,  our  life.  He  determines  the  use 
to  which  all  things  are  to  be  put.  He  guides  us 
to  eternity  by  His  fatherly  care.  To  attain 
heaven  we  must  obey  God ;  we  must  lead  a 
virtuous  life ;  we  must  be  good.     Sin  makes  people 


SIN  — ORIGINAL  SIN  191 

bad.  Those  who  disobey  God  commit  sin.  The 
bad  angels  disobeyed  God  ;  they  refused  to  do  His 
will ;  this  was  a  mortal  sin.  This  changed  those 
beautiful  creatures  into  devils  and  sent  them  to 
eternal  damnation. 

We  induce  the  children  to  reflect  upon  the  effects 
of  sin ;  thus  they  learn  to  know  its  meaning. 
Adam  and  Eve  disobeyed  God  and  hence  com- 
mitted a  sin.  See  the  awful  results  that  followed. 
It  was  pride  that  caused  the  fall  of  both  angels  and 
men.  God  simply  wished  to  have  them  love  Him 
and  loving  Him  they  would,  of  course,  obey  Him, 
serve  Him.  But  the  bad  angels,  and  Adam  and 
Eve,  and  sinners  in  general  conceived  the  thought 
that  they  could  get  along  without  God.  This  is 
pride,  the  root  of  all  evil. 

It  is  pride  that  causes  people  to  break  the  Com- 
mandments and  hence  to  disobey  God.  But  this 
is  a  generalized  truth ;  to  make  it  clear  to  the 
little  ones  it  is  necessary  to  mention  each  Com- 
mandment in  particular.  We  must  give  concrete 
examples  to  enable  them  to  comprehend  the  mean- 
ing of  sin.  Here  especially  the  ''rule  of  positives" 
should  be  observed.  Sin  should  always  be  men- 
tioned in  the  impersonal.  Not  for  an  instant, 
even  hypothetically,  should  the  idea  of  sin  be 
associated  with  the  lives  of  the  children. 


192  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Our  teaching  on  sin  should  form  motivation  for 
the  practice  of  virtue.  With  the  idea  of  sin  should 
be  associated  all  that  makes  for  misery  and  un- 
happiness.  But  side  by  side  with  this,  the  beauty 
and  the  joy  of  virtue  should  be  suggested.  After 
dealing  with  the  hateful  subject  of  sin  the  little 
ones  should  be  filled  with  the  desire  to  lead  good 
and  holy  lives. 

Gradually,  by  easy  steps  as  it  were,  we  should 
lead  the  children  to  see  the  difference  between 
mortal  and  venial  sin.  They  should  realize  that 
it  is  the  malice  of  forethought  that  makes  sin 
mortal  and  that  mortal  sin  entails  a  serious  matter. 
On  the  other  hand,  they  must  learn  that  venial 
sin  arises  from  a  certain  thoughtlessness  in  slight 
matters.  To  enable  the  children  to  realize  this 
distinction  much  patient  care  is  necessary.  Con- 
crete examples  will  best  serve  here,  perhaps.  No 
generalized  definition  will  suffice  for  either  chil- 
dren or  adults. 

It  is  sometimes  difficult  for  people  to  comprehend 
sins  of  thought.  It  must  here  be  impressed  upon 
the  children  that  to  harbor  evil  thoughts  is  the 
misuse  of  the  mind  and  hence  disobedience  to 
God.  But  all  this  presupposes  that  they  know 
God's  position  in  their  lives.  To  be  able  to  realize 
the  meaning  of  sin  the  children  must  learn  the 


SIN  — ORIGINAL  SIN  193 

proper  attitude  toward  life ;  they  must  feel  the 
loving  presence  of  God  about  them  ;  they  must  be 
happy  in  the  hope  of  eternal  bliss  with  Him  in 
heaven.  Hence  even  our  teaching  on  sin  must 
suggest  the  love  of  God  to  the  minds  of  the 
children.  In  sin  and  its  punishment  they  must 
see  God's  desire  for  our  love.  They  must  under- 
stand that  sin  is  a  willful  separation  of  disobedient 
children  from  a  loving  Father.  And  the  punish- 
ment that  follows  is  the  direct  result  of  their 
refusing  to  accept  God's  love. 

Original  sin  is  the  sin  which  we  inherit  from  our 
first  parents,  the  disobedience  of  Adam  and  Eve 
which  first  separated  man  from  God.  This  sub- 
ject follows  logically  after  our  treatise  on  sin  in 
general.  It  is,  as  it  were,  going  back  to  seek  the 
origin  of  human  sin.  The  divine  account  of 
man's  fall  is  even  ridiculed  by  many  to-day.  It 
is  sometimes  placed  in  the  category  of  myths  and 
ascribed  to  the  phantasies  of  prehistoric  man.  Yet 
the  whole  fabric  of  revealed  religion  rests  upon 
the  truth  of  this  spiritual  narrative.  Without 
the  fall  of  man  there  would  be  no  redemption,  no 
Christianity.  The  truth  of  man's  fall  related  in 
Genesis  is  known  to  us  by  faith.  To  him  who 
believes  in  God  and  His  holy  Church  there  can 
be  nothing  mythical  in  Genesis  or  any  other  part 


194  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

of  the  sacred  writings.  Hence  it  is  ours  to  present 
this  great  truth  to  the  children  in  the  Hght  of 
divine  faith.  In  this  light  all  becomes  reasonable 
and  consequential. 

God  made  man  to  be  happy  with  Him  forever  in 
heaven.  All  he  asked  was  that  man  should  love 
Him.  He  put  him  on  earth  so  that  he  could  prove 
his  love  for  God.  Of  course  the  only  way  in  which 
man  can  show  his  love  for  God  is  by  obeying  Him. 
Hence  God  gave  Adam  and  Eve  a  commandment ; 
if  they  obeyed  God  by  keeping  this  command- 
ment, they  would  prove  their  love  for  Him.  Then 
later  God  would  take  them  to  heaven.  But  Adam 
and  Eve  disobeyed  God  and  thus  lost  their  inno- 
cence and  holiness.  Because  of  their  sin  they 
became  subject  to  many  miseries  of  soul  and  body. 
These  evils  have  come  down  to  all  the  children  of 
Adam  and  Eve  and  even  to  us,  and  the  sin  which 
we  inherit  from  them  is  called  original  sin. 

This  outlines  the  teaching  on  original  sin. 
The  children  have  already  learned  man's  origin 
from  God  and  his  relation  to  Him.  They  have 
long  been  considering  His  love  and  bounty  to  us. 
From  this  point  of  contact  we  can  easily  introduce 
to  them  the  subject  of  original  sin.  After  re- 
viewing the  ideas  of  sin  we  take  them  back  in 
thought   to   the   beginning   of   the   human   race. 


SIN  — ORIGINAL  SIN  195 

There  they  see  the  great  love  God  bestowed  upon 
our  first  parents.  They  understand  the  reason 
for  the  command  given  to  Adam  and  Eve ;  they 
consider  the  envy  of  Satan ;  they  see  pride  work- 
ing in  the  mind  of  Adam  and  Eve.  Then  they 
see  the  act  of  disobedience  which  separated  them 
from  God. 

Now  their  thoughts  are  turned  to  the  miseries 
of  hfe  which  are  not  unknown  to  them.  All  these 
are  the  consequences  of  that  sin.  Furthermore, 
heaven  was  closed  because  of  that  sin.  Then 
concretely  they  are  led  to  realize  the  condition 
of  Adam  and  Eve  after  the  fall.  The  children  of 
Adam  and  Eve  were  born  in  the  same  condition. 
All  men,  save  the  Mother  of  God,  have  since  been 
born  in  that  condition.  We,  too,  are  born  in  that 
condition,  which  is  called  original  sin. 

Throughout  the  whole  treatise  the  love  of 
God  is  made  manifest  to  the  children.  God  had 
originally  made  man  for  heaven ;  He  warned  him 
against  disobedience,  telling  him  its  consequences. 
But  man  turned  away  from  God,  led  by  the  devil. 
He  gave  himself  into  the  power  of  Satan,  became 
his  slave.  Here  God  in  His  love  promised  him  a 
Redeemer  who  was  to  be  His  own  divine  Son. 
Even  there  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  God  made 
this  promise  to  Adam  and  Eve  so  that  all  might 


196  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

still  have  hope.  All  this  must  be  impressed  upon 
the  minds  of  the  children  so  that  they  will  have 
the  proper  attitude  toward  God  in  this  regard. 
All  the  evil  in  the  world  must  be  associated  with 
sin  just  as  good  is  associated  with  God. 

There  is  no  need  for  rationalizing  in  the  presence 
of  love.  It  is  through  love  that  the  little  ones 
will  know  and  understand  the  mysteries  of  faith. 
Knowing  that  God  is  a  good  and  loving  Father 
to  us,  they  will  see  Ilis  justice  and  His  mercy 
even  through  the  greatest  evils  of  life.  They  will 
judge  all  the  truths  of  faith  through  the  medium 
of  love.  Thus  they  will  understand  the  mystery 
of  sin.  They  will  know  that  God  in  His  love  and 
mercy  has  done  all  for  His  children  of  earth. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Incarnation 

In  the  beginning  of  our  course  we  reflected 
upon  God,  our  heavenly  Father.  We  reflected 
upon  our  relation  to  Him,  our  origin  from  Him, 
and  His  divine  Providence  over  us.  After  con- 
sidering God  as  He  is  revealed  in  the  created 
world  and  in  the  sacred  Scriptures,  we  turned  our 
thoughts  to  eternity,  dwelling  upon  the  destiny 
which  God  has  in  store  for  us.  From  these  con- 
siderations we  turned,  quite  naturally,  to  meditate 
upon  God's  law,  expressed  in  the  Ten  Command- 
ments. Then  we  passed  logically  to  the  consider- 
ation of  sin,  man's  rebellion  against  God.  When 
we  had  viewed  this  appalling  evil  in  all  its  aspects, 
we  then  centered  our  reflections  upon  the  origin 
of  man's  sinful  state  —  the  fall  of  man. 

Logically  upon  these  ideas  follows  the  treatise 
on  man's  redemption.  We  would  now  lead  the 
little  ones  to  know  and  feel  the  love  and  mercy  of 
God  manifested  in  the  Incarnation.  The  whole 
human  race  was  in  a  state  of  sinfulness  because 
of  Adam's  fall.     God  had  promised  Adam  and 

197 


U)8  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Eve  that  He  would  send  His  own  divine  Son  to 
redeem  mankind  from  sin.  God  had  taken  pity 
on  poor,  fallen  man ;  in  His  infinite  love  and  bounty 
He  would  restore  to  him  the  eternal  inheritance 
which  he  had  ruthlessly  cast  aside  by  his  dis- 
obedience. 

All  this  must  be  impressed  upon  the  children. 
Then  they  must  follow,  with  heart  and  mind,  the 
long  years  of  waiting  for  our  divine  Redeemer. 
They  hear  again  the  words  of  the  Prophets  fore- 
telling the  coming  of  our  Saviour.  At  last  they 
are  taken,  in  thought,  to  Nazareth,  there  to  hear 
the  Angel  Gabriel  announcing  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary  that  she  was  to  be  the  Mother  of  our 
divine  Redeemer.  In  the  same  realistic  manner 
we  transport  them  in  fancy  to  Bethlehem,  there 
to  kneel  beside  the  crib  of  our  new-born  Saviour. 
With  their  vivid  imagination  they  accompany  the 
shepherds  as  they  hasten  across  the  fields  to  adore 
their  Infant  Redeemer.  They  see  in  wonderment 
the  arrival  of  three  wise  men  from  the  East  bear- 
ing gifts  to  the  Christ  Child.  They  shudder  at 
the  wicked  threats  of  Herod  and  mourn  the 
slaughter  of  the  Holy  Innocents  as  they  follow, 
in  the  still  night,  the  course  of  the  flight  into 
Egypt. 

Thus  we  lead  them  on,  their  mind  and  heart 


THE  INCARNATION  199 

and  imagination  all  aglow  with  the  thoughts  and 
the  scenes  that  are  presented  to  them.  It  is 
all  made  personal  for  them ;  they  live  again  those 
great  events  of  religion.  They  weave  all  that 
love  and  truth  into  their  own  life.  All  is  made 
simple  and  concrete  for  them.  The  progress  of 
their  thought  is  easy  and  agreeable  to  them. 
When  in  spirit  they  are  kneeling  before  the  crib  of 
our  Infant  Redeemer,  their  thoughts  are  turned 
to  the  blessings  that  Blessed  Babe  brought  to  us ; 
He  it  was  who  came  to  free  us  from  the  power  of 
Satan,  to  save  us  from  hell.  And  that  longing 
desire  to  take  Him  into  our  arms  is  now  satisfied 
by  the  Holy  Eucharist.  At  Holy  Communion 
we  can  now  take  Him  even  into  our  bodies. 

To  them  now  the  true  meaning  of  Christmas 
becomes  manifest ;  it  is  the  birth  day  of  our 
Saviour;  it  is  a  time  of  joy  because  it  is  the  day 
on  which  our  Blessed  Redeemer  came  into  the 
world.  Henceforth  their  thoughts  may  easily 
travel  back  to  that  happy  Virgin  Mother  holding 
her  divine  Babe  in  her  arms.  It  is  but  meet  that 
here  they  should  turn  their  thoughts  to  the  blessed 
Mother  of  our  divine  Saviour.  She  must  take  her 
place  in  their  lives.  They  must  learn  to  know  her 
as  the  Mother  of  God  and  as  our  Mother. 

From  that  blessed  day  on  which  they  saw  the 


200  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

angel  of  God  bowed  before  her  until  they  saw  her 
sainted  body  borne  to  heaven  they  must  follow 
her  whole  life.  Like  the  life  of  Christ,  the  life  of 
His  blessed  Mother  is  presented  to  them  in  a  series 
of  pictures,  as  it  were,  that  appeal  to  their  heart 
and  their  imagination.  First  they  are  led  to 
Nazareth;  after  the  Annunciation,  they  go  into 
the  hill  country  with  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  visit  her 
cousin,  St.  Elizabeth.  At  Bethlehem  they  see 
her  holding  her  Blessed  Babe  to  her  bosom,  hug- 
ging Him,  kissing  Him,  crooning  Him  to  sleep. 
They  see  her  putting  on  His  little  garments, 
washing  His  little  hands  and  face,  feeding  Him, 
caressing  Him,  watching  over  Him  in  His  crib. 
In  these  scenes  the  dear  St.  Joseph  is  always 
present.  Such  tenderness  of  mother  love  is  familiar 
to  children. 

It  is  by  these  manifestations  of  love  that  to 
children  mothers  are  mothers.  By  the  same  signs 
they  will  realize  the  divine  motherhood  of  Mary. 
At  Nazareth  they  see,  in  thought,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  caring  lovingly  for  her  Blessed  Boy.  They 
see  Him  playing  about  as  she  sweeps  the  house, 
washes  the  dishes,  prepares  the  meals.  In  imagi- 
nation the  children  are  transported  thither  and  feel 
almost  as  though  they  might  play  with  the  divine 
Boy  of  Nazareth. 


THE  INCARNATION  201 

They  consider  well  the  life  of  the  Holy  Family  in 
its  little  cottage  there.  They  follow  those  three 
holy  persons  in  the  detail  of  their  everyday  life. 
In  this  they  learn  the  secret  of  peace  and  joy.  Not 
only  do  they  learn  the  beauty  of  these  simple 
lives,  but  they  realize  the  true  meaning  of  God- 
made-man.  They  consider  the  thirty  obscure 
years  which  our  divine  Lord  spent  in  that  little 
home  with  His  blessed  Mother  and  St.  Joseph. 
They  see  again  reenacted  the  holy  death  of  that 
great  saint,  assisted  in  his  last  hour  by  the  Saviour 
of  the  world  and  his  own  Virgin  spouse. 

They  feel  the  sorrow  of  those  two  sacred  hearts 
when  at  last  Christ  leaves  His  blessed  Mother 
to  go  forth  upon  His  mission.  With  awe  and  love 
they  follow  our  divine  Saviour  in  His  journeys  of 
love  and  mercy.  They  see  Him  cure  the  lame,  the 
deaf,  the  blind,  the  sick ;  they  see  Him  raise  the 
dead  to  life ;  they  hear  His  holy  teachings ;  they 
are  there,  in  spirit,  when  He  calls  His  twelve 
Apostles.  At  last  they  find  Him  falsely  accused 
by  the  jealous  Pharisees.  Their  hearts  are  with 
Him  when  he  prays  in  the  agony  of  Gethsemane. 
In  the  midst  of  their  thoughts  Judas  comes 
followed  by  a  band  of  soldiers  who  bind  Him  and 
lead  Him  away.  They  watch  as  He  is  taken  before 
Pilate  and  hear  the  rabble  cry:   *' Crucify  Him, 


202  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

crucify  Him ! "  Then  with  sympathy  and  love 
they  follow  Him  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem 
as  He  bears  His  heavy  cross  toward  Calvary. 
In  the  end  they  see  Plim  stripped  and  fastened 
by  big  nails  to  the  cross.  With  the  Blessed  Virgin 
they  stand  there  through  the  long  hours  beneath 
the  cross  until  He  breathes  forth  His  spirit. 

Thus  the  truth  lives  for  the  children;  it  has  a 
meaning  in  realities  for  them ;  it  appeals  to  their 
tenderest  emotions ;  it  touches  their  hearts ;  for 
they  are  absorbing  it  in  its  own  sacred  character. 
Yet  it  is  not  enough  for  them  to  know  and  feel  this 
sacred  truth ;  they  must  also  practice  all  that  it 
entails.  When  they  reflect  upon  these  mani- 
festations of  God's  love  for  them,  they  must  simul- 
taneously consider  the  means  by  which  they  can 
show  their  love  for  God.  They  must  then  recall 
to  mind  the  practices  of  religion  that  bear  upon 
these  truths.  This  teaching  must  produce  imme- 
diate fruits  in  their  lives. 

Their  consideration  of  the  Holy  Family  should 
awaken  in  the  children  a  desire  to  make  peaceful 
and  happy  homes.  Here  their  minds  should  be 
directed  in  the  quest  of  those  things  by  which 
they  can  contribute  to  the  joy  of  their  own  homes. 
In  this  juncture  also  they  should  reflect  upon  the 
means  bv  which  to  show  their  love  for  one  another. 


THE   INCARNATION  203 

While  dwelling  upon  the  life  of  Christ  and  His 
sacred  Passion,  their  thoughts  are  directed  to  the 
feasts  and  devotions  of  the  Church  that  commem- 
orate these  events.  For  instance,  they  follow 
the  Stations  of  the  Cross  while  they  are  considering 
the  Passion.  While  their  minds  are  filled  with 
the  thought  of  Christ's  blessed  Mother,  they  con- 
sider the  means  which  they  have  to  show  their  love 
and  devotion  for  her.  They  talk  of  the  prayers 
and  litanies  they  can  say  in  her  praise.  They 
recall  the  feasts  that  are  celebrated  in  her  honor. 
Thus  is  interwoven  for  the  children  a  beautiful 
network  of  truth,  love,  and  practice  which  is 
immediately  applicable  to  their  lives.  Knowl- 
edge is  so  engendered  as  to  produce  love,  and  love 
is  so  strong  that  it  impels  them  to  practice. 

After  considering  the  crucifixion  of  Christ,  we 
turn  to  reflect  upon  death  and  purgatory.  Death 
has  already  been  presented  to  them  in  its  true 
light;  it  is  for  them  just  a  "going  home"  to  our 
heavenly  Father.  This  is  the  only  teaching  that 
can  harmonize  the  fact  of  death  with  divine  love. 
We  are  all  children  of  a  loving  Father  in  heaven ; 
He  leaves  us  here  on  this  earth  simply  that  we 
may  learn  to  love  Him.  In  the  end  He  takes 
us  to  our  true  home  in  heaven,  to  our  Father's 
bosom. 


204  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

After  reflecting  on  the  death  of  Christ,  the  minds 
of  the  children  are  prepared  for  the  true  con- 
sideration of  death.  They  are  now  led  to  think 
upon  the  meaning  of  death.  The  body  is  placed 
in  the  tomb ;  the  soul  still  lives ;  the  wicked 
are  condemned  to  hell.  The  just  go  to  heaven  to 
be  with  God  forever.  The  children  have  already 
seen  death  among  their  own  or  among  their 
friends.  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  separation  ? 
Why  should  they  be  torn  from  those  whom  they 
love  ?  Is  this  the  end  of  love  ?  All  these  ques- 
tions arise  in  desolate  minds.  Because  of  these 
questions,  we  treat  the  subject  of  purgatory  in 
conjunction  with  death.  Because  of  purgatory  we 
can  still  manifest  our  love  for  our  beloved  dead ; 
every  prayer  said  for  them  is  an  act  of  love 
shown  for  them.  This  is  a  great  consolation  for 
sorrowing  hearts. 

Purgatory  is,  after  all,  a  product  of  God's  love 
and  mercy.  It  is  as  such  it  must  be  presented 
to  the  minds  of  the  children.  God,  because  He 
loves  us,  has  given  us  this  place  wherein  our  souls 
may  be  purified  for  heaven.  The  children  readily 
grasp  the  true  meaning  of  purgatory.  In  this 
connection  we  help  them  understand  the  Com- 
munion of  Saints  mentioned  in  the  Apostles' 
Creed.      It   is    that    sublime    doctrine   of   faith : 


THE  INCARNATION  205 

the  faithful  on  earth,  the  souls  in  purgatory,  and 
the  blessed  in  heaven  are  all  united  in  mutual  love. 
Here  the  children  reflect  upon  means  of  helping 
the  poor  souls.  They  learn  that  they  can  help 
them  by  prayer,  by  good  works,  and  by  having 
Masses  said  for  them.  They  learn  about  the  Feast 
of  All  Souls  and  the  month  of  the  poor  souls.  As 
usual  it  is  the  commingling  of  practice  with  truth. 

But,  for  the  faithful,  the  hope  of  resurrection 
takes  the  sting  out  of  death.  Hence,  at  once,  we 
take  up  the  subject  of  Christ's  Resurrection. 
Here,  as  in  the  other  chapters  on  the  Incarnation, 
our  approach  is  historical  —  built  upon  the  pre- 
vious knowledge  of  the  child.  Again  they  follow 
our  divine  Redeemer  to  Calvary  and  finally  see 
His  lifeless  body  placed  in  the  tomb ;  they  see 
the  military  guard  placed  beside  the  sepulchre. 
Then  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  their  imag- 
ination pictures  for  them  Christ  coming  forth 
alive  from  the  tomb.  The  details  of  this  event  are 
depicted  in  their  minds.  Mary  Magdalen  goes  to 
the  tomb  early  in  the  morning,  sees  the  risen 
Christ,  and  hastens  to  tell  the  Apostles.  Then 
St.  Peter  and  St.  John  come  running  to  the 
tomb. 

Already  the  guards  have  taken  to  flight  in  their 
fear.     The  high  priests  offer  them  silence  money. 


206  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Then  Christ  appears  to  the  Apostles,  passing 
through  closed  doors.  All  this  is  vivid  reality  to 
the  children.  When  they  have  followed  all  these 
events,  they  realize  the  truth  of  the  Resurrection. 
They  are  prepared  then  to  consider  the  divine 
power  by  which  Christ  rose  from  the  dead.  In 
the  midst  of  these  narratives  that  are  drawn  from 
the  children,  as  it  were,  the  appropriate  feasts 
and  liturgical  celebrations  are  brought  to  their 
minds.  Lent  and  its  devotions.  Ash  Wednesday, 
Palm  Sunday,  Holy  Week,  and  Easter,  are  here 
given  their  full  meaning  for  the  children. 

From  Christ's  Resurrection  there  is  a  natural 
transition  to  our  own  resurrection  at  the  end  of 
the  world.  Hence  the  children  are  led  to  reflect 
upon  that  glorious  consummation  when  our  bodies 
will  rise  from  the  dead.  Thus  truth  is  linked  to 
truth  in  the  course  of  our  teaching.  The  interest 
of  the  children  is  sustained  from  day  to  day ;  for 
each  treatise  suggests  the  subsequent  topic,  mak- 
ing it  almost  a  demand  of  the  problems  that  have 
been  awakened  in  the  minds  of  the  children. 

Throughout  these  chapters  on  the  Incarnation, 
God's  love  has  been  made  manifest  to  the  chil- 
dren. The  mystery  of  the  Incarnation  becomes  for 
them  an  article  of  fervent  faith.  They  follow 
eagerly,  it  would  seem,  the  course  of  events  that 


THE  INCARNATION  207 

are  to  them  so  human  and  yet  divine.  In  it 
all  they  see  the  loving  familiarity  of  God  with  His 
children ;  they  see  God  the  Son  coming  down  from 
heaven  to  lead  God's  children  back  to  the  path 
of  truth  and  salvation.  In  this  manner  the 
teaching  works  upon  their  lives ;  it  brings  con- 
viction to  them  and  moves  them  to  deeds  of 
love. 


CHAPTER  XX 

The  Catholic  Church  —  Divine  Grace 

Next  in  order  to  the  Incarnation  and  the 
Redemption  the  Church  naturally  presents  itself 
to  our  consideration ;  for  the  Church  was  insti- 
tuted to  apply  the  fruits  of  the  Incarnation  and 
the  Redemption  to  our  souls.  To  the  Church 
Christ  committed  the  means  of  grace  for  mankind. 
Wherefore  the  treatises  on  divine  grace  and  the 
Sacraments  logically  follow,  in  due  succession, 
the  treatise  on  the  Church. 

The  salvation  of  men  depends  largely  upon 
their  attitude  toward  the  Church.  They  must 
know  its  place  in  the  divine  plan  of  Redemption ; 
they  must  learn  to  look  upon  it  as  a  divine  institu- 
tion guided  and  preserved  by  the  direct  inter- 
vention of  God  ;  they  must  understand  its  univer- 
sality as  the  sole  divinely  constituted  teacher  of 
mankind.  Hence,  from  the  beginning,  the  little 
ones  must  conceive  the  proper  attitude  toward  the 
Church.  It  must  take  its  proper  place  in  their 
life,  naturally,  logically,  as  it  were.  To  accom- 
plish this  we  do  not  await  the  particular  treatise 
on  the  Catholic  Church. 

208 


THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  209 

Early  in  our  first  course  we  introduce  the  chil- 
dren to  the  Church.  After  we  have  presented 
to  their  minds  God  as  He  manifests  Himself  in 
creation,  we  consider  Him  from  the  standpoint 
of  divine  revelation.  When  the  children  have 
learned  that  God  spoke  to  us  through  the  Pa- 
triarchs and  the  Prophets  and  through  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  Apostles,  we  lead  them  to  consider 
that  wonderful  book  written  by  God  Himself  — 
the  Bible.  This  brings  them  face  to  face  with  the 
Church.  There  must  be  a  link  between  us  and 
that  far-off  time  when  God  spoke  and  wrote  the 
truth  for  us.  The  little  ones  are  even  eager  to 
know  how  those  teachings  are  transmitted  through 
all  the  centuries  to  all  the  people  of  earth.  An 
intervening  teacher  is  necessary ;  they  have  at 
least  an  implicit  desire  to  know  how  God  has 
accomplished  this  work  of  teaching. 

The  Catholic  Church  is  this  teacher ;  God  sent 
the  Catholic  Church  to  teach  us  all  this  truth 
that  He  has  so  bountifully  revealed.  Thus  the 
Church  is  first  presented  to  them ;  it  fits  in  with 
God's  plan  of  salvation.  Henceforth  we  cannot 
mention  salvation  or  the  means  to  attain  it  without 
referring  to  the  Church.  For  the  Church  must 
always  be  associated  with  all  that  has  to  do  with 
the  attainment  of  eternal  life.     If  we  speak  of  the 


210  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

angels,  it  is  the  Church  that  tells  us  about  them. 
If  we  consider  heaven,  it  is  the  Church  that  gives 
us  the  means  to  attain  it.  As  for  hell,  the  Church 
teaches  us  how  to  avoid  it.  It  is  the  Church  that 
teaches  us  the  Commandments  of  God  given  to 
guide  us  to  eternal  life ;  it  is  the  Church  that 
warns  us  against  sin  and  cleanses  the  soul  of  the 
sinner  by  her  holy  Sacraments.  Thus  the  Church 
appears  in  every  phase  of  religion ;  we  consider 
it  in  conjunction  with  all  truth:  for  it  is  "the 
pillar  and  ground  of  truth"  (I  Tim.  3,  15). 

Now  we  arrive  at  the  especial  consideration  of 
the  Church.  Our  approach  is  historical.  The 
children  have  been  reflecting  upon  the  details  of 
the  Passion  and  the  Resurrection  of  Christ.  They 
saw  Him  appearing  to  the  Apostles  and  to  many 
others  for  forty  days.  At  last  they  see  Him 
ascending  into  heaven  from  Mount  Olivet.  What 
follows  now?  Christ  had  promised  to  send  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  Spirit  of  Truth.  The  Apostles 
went  down  from  Olivet,  and  locked  themselves  in 
a  room  where  they  remained  in  fear  and  trembling 
for  nine  days.  During  this  time  they  were  pray- 
ing for  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  This,  then, 
is  the  origin  of  the  no  vena  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 
On  the  tenth  day  —  the  narrative  continues  — 
the  Apostles  heard  a  great  noise  as  of  a  mighty 


THE  CATHOLIC   CHURCH  211 

wind.  Then  the  Holy  Ghost  appeared  in  the 
form  of  fiery  tongues  which  stood  above  their 
heads.  Surely  there  is  action  and  interest  in  all 
this.  But  why  did  the  Holy  Ghost  come  upon 
the  Apostles  ? 

He  came  to  stay  with  them  to  guide  them  in 
their  teaching.  He  came  to  stay  with  the  Catholic 
Church  —  long  since  known  to  the  little  ones. 
He  came  to  keep  the  truth  in  the  Catholic  Church. 
And  who  is  the  Holy  Ghost?  He  is  the  third 
person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity ;  He  is  God  who 
knows  all  things,  sees  all  things ;  He  is  God  the 
eternal  and  omnipotent.  He  it  is  who  has  come 
to  guard  the  truth  in  the  Catholic  Church  and  to 
watch  over  it  until  the  end  of  the  world.  Now 
we  know  why  the  Catholic  Church  must  always 
teach  the  truth.  Now  we  know  why  we  must 
always  believe  all  that  the  Catholic  Church  teaches. 

After  such  an  acquaintance  with  the  Catholic 
Church,  surely  the  children  will  be  interested  to 
learn  about  its  origin.  Yes ;  it  was  Christ  who 
instituted  the  Catholic  Church ;  it  is  His  own 
Church ;  it  is  the  only  Church  that  He  instituted. 
He  desires  that  all  the  people  of  the  world  belong 
to  this  Church.  He  has  given  us  the  Catholic 
Church  to  teach  us  to  love  God  and  thus  to  attain 
heaven. 


212  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Here,  then,  is  further  evidence  of  divine  love; 
God  in  His  fatherly  love  for  us  gives  us  the  Catholic 
Church  to  teach  us  His  divine  truth  and  to  help 
us  save  our  souls.  Surely  He  is  a  good  and  loving 
Father  solicitous  for  His  children.  He  has  done 
this,  too,  because  He  wishes  to  have  us  with  Him 
so  that  He  can  love  us  for  eternity. 

With  this  in  mind  the  children  are  ready  to 
learn  about  the  organization  of  the  Church. 
What  was  the  position  of  the  Apostles  in  the 
Church  of  Christ?  Yes,  little  ones,  the  Apostles 
were  the  first  priests  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
You  know  what  the  priests  do  for  us ;  they  teach 
us  all  that  God  wants  us  to  do.  The  priest  bap- 
tized you  when  you  were  a  baby;  he  will  give 
you  your  first  Holy  Communion ;  he  will  forgive 
your  sins  in  the  Sacrament  of  Penance ;  he  says 
Mass  for  you  every  day ;  he  visits  the  sick  and 
gives  them  the  last  Sacraments. 

All  these  things  are  known  to  the  children,  per- 
haps. Now  in  thought  they  see  the  Apostles  per- 
forming these  same  sacred  functions  for  the 
people.  They  are  preaching,  baptizing,  saying 
Mass,  giving  Holy  Communion,  visiting  the  sick, 
in  a  word,  fulfilling  the  holy  mission  of  priests. 
It  was  Christ  Himself  who  made  them  priests  ;  He 
gave  them  the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Orders.     But 


THE   CATHOLIC   CHURCH  213 

He  also  made  them  bishops ;  hence  they  could 
give  the  Sacraments  of  Confirmation  and  Holy 
Orders.  They  ordained  other  priests  and  bishops  ; 
these  other  bishops  then  ordained  still  others. 
Thus  the  priests  and  bishops  have  come  down 
from  the  Apostles.  How  simple  it  all  is  when 
traced  in  its  natural  sequence  ! 

But  we  said  that  the  Catholic  Church  came  from 
Christ ;  it  teaches  His  holy  doctrine ;  it  is  His 
own  Church.  It  is  clear,  then,  Christ  is  the  head 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  He  has  always  been 
head  of  the  Catholic  Church  and  He  always  will 
be  such.  He  it  was  who  sent  the  Holy  Ghost  to 
abide  with  the  Church ;  He  it  was  who  ordained 
the  Apostles  to  be  the  first  priests  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  And  who  is  our  Lord?  He  is  God  the 
Son,  the  second  person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity. 
Yes  ;  God  Himself  is  head  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
That  is  why  all  should  belong  to  it.  We  know 
now,  too,  why  it  will  last  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

But  what  position,  then,  does  our  Holy  Father 
the  Pope  hold  ?  He  rules  the  Catholic  Church  for 
our  Lord.  The  bishop  is  the  head  priest  of  the 
diocese ;  the  priests  obey  him.  The  Pope  is  over 
all  the  bishops  and  priests  of  the  Church ;  all 
obey  him.  The  Holy  Ghost  guides  our  Holy 
Father  in  ruling  the  Church.     The  Holy  Ghost 


214  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

guides  him  so  that  he  can  always  teach  the  truth 
to  the  world.  Three  hundred  millions  of  people 
in  the  world  love  and  obey  our  Holy  Father.  He 
is  a  kind  and  loving  father  to  them.  We  pray 
for  him  and  ask  God  to  bless  him  every  day. 

But,  talking  of  the  Pope,  who  was  the  first 
Pope  ?  St.  Peter  was  the  first  Pope.  How  nat- 
urally we  arrive  at  this  great  truth.  Our  Lord 
Himself  made  St.  Peter  the  first  Pope  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church.  He  was  bishop  of  Rome  ;  since  then 
the  bishop  of  Rome  has  always  been  Pope.  When 
St.  Peter  died,  St.  Linus  became  Pope.  Then 
followed  St.  Anacletus  and  St.  Clement.  Begin- 
ning with  St.  Peter  there  have  been  two  hundred 
and  sixty  Popes.  How  grand  is  this  holy  Church 
of  ours ! 

Surely  we  are  happy  to  obey  this  holy  Church 
which  God  has  sent  so  wondrously  to  guide  us  to 
heaven ;  we  obey  God  when  we  obey  the  Catholic 
Church.  God  gave  the  Catholic  Church  power  to 
make  commandments.  When  we  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  the  Church  we  obey  God.  Those 
who  break  the  commandments  of  the  Church 
commit  a  sin.  In  this  manner  the  children  learn 
to  know  the  true  character  of  the  Church.  Know- 
ing it,  they  love  it ;  and  when  they  love  it,  they 
will  obey  it  and  profit  by  its  holy  teachings. 


DIVINE  GRACE  215 

Divine  Grace.  In  our  theologies  there  is  no 
tract  more  profound  than  that  which  treats  of 
divine  grace.  There  are  those  who  seem  to  be 
persuaded  that  the  doctrine  of  grace  is  too  difficult 
for  the  minds  of  simple  folk.  This  is  a  deplorable 
error;  for  there  is  no  doctrine  more  simple  than 
that  of  divine  grace.  Indeed  it  is  evident  that 
it  should  be  so,  since  God  intended  it  for  even 
the  humblest  of  His  children. 

It  is  true  that  God's  grace  is  a  great  mystery. 
Treated  scientifically,  from  the  standpoint  of  the- 
ology, it  is  beyond  the  ken  of  all  save  theolo- 
gians. But  if  it  be  viewed  in  its  manifestations, 
viewed  from  a  practical  standpoint,  it  is  plain 
and  simple  enough  for  even  little  minds.  The  same 
distinction  holds  in  the  knowledge  of  life.  There 
is  nothing  more  simple  on  earth  than  life  if  viewed 
from  a  practical  standpoint.  Little  tots  two  or 
three  years  of  age  recognize  life.  If  they  see  a  bug 
lying  on  its  back,  moving  its  legs,  they  will  say : 
"It  is  alive."  If  it  be  motionless  they  will  con- 
clude that  it  is  dead.  But  if  life  be  studied 
scientifically  in  biology,  anatomy,  and  kindred 
sciences  it  is  the  most  profound  of  human  sciences. 

Now  in  teaching  religion  to  our  people  our 
first  concern  is  practical  knowledge,  knowledge 
that  will  influence  their  lives.     It  is  such  knowledge 


216  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

of  divine  grace  that  we  would  convey  to  the  httle 
ones.  Divine  grace  is  a  new  Ufe  for  our  soul.  God 
gave  us  a  natural  life  to  enable  us  to  work  out  our 
natural  destiny ;  but  He  created  us  for  a  super- 
natural destiny.  To  this  end  He  bestows  upon 
us  the  life  of  grace.  This  life  is  engendered 
and  nourished  in  our  souls  by  the  Sacraments. 
This  sums  up  the  teaching  on  divine  grace. 

To  present  this  teaching  to  the  little  ones  we 
make  our  approach  through  their  natural  life. 
God  gives  the  life  in  which  we  are  born.  Well 
they  know  the  manifestations  of  natural  life ; 
we  eat,  drink,  talk,  walk,  work,  think,  and  the 
like  by  this  life.  Yet  this  is  not  enough  to  take  us 
to  heaven.  To  enable  us  to  attain  heaven  God 
gives  a  new  life  to  our  soul.  This  new  life  gives 
us  power  to  attain  eternal  life ;  it  enables  us  to 
love  and  serve  God,  to  avoid  sin,  to  save  our  soul. 
Without  it  none  can  gain  heaven.  This  new  life 
changes  our  soul ;  it  makes  our  soul  holy  and  pure 
and  beautiful  so  that  God  can  love  it ;  it  makes 
us  children  of  God.  Indeed  when  we  have  this 
life  we  have  a  share  in  God's  own  life.  Surely 
it  is  a  wondrous  gift. 

Then,  too,  the  manifestations  of  this  new  life 
are  as  simple  as  are  the  manifestations  of  natural 
life.     Those  who  keep  the  Commandments  show 


DIVINE   GRACE  217 

that  they  possess  this  life.  Those  who  do  all  that 
God  wills  manifest  this  new  life  in  their  soul.  In 
a  word,  all  the  works  of  a  virtuous  life  are  mani- 
festations of  divine  grace.  Just  as  the  little  one 
can  understand  natural  life  from  the  least  little 
movement  of  an  insect,  so  it  can  understand  the 
meaning  of  divine  grace  from  the  little  actions  of 
duty  and  virtue. 

To  make  the  teaching  concrete  to  the  children, 
we  cite  examples  for  them.  The  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary  was  "full  of  grace."  It  was  God's  grace 
that  made  her  so  pure  and  holy.  It  was  God's 
grace  that  made  St.  Joseph  so  good  and  pure. 
It  was  God's  grace  that  made  the  saints  and 
martyrs  so  holy.  It  is  God's  grace  that  makes 
us  good. 

With  all  this  in  mind  the  children  are  disposed 
to  learn  that  divine  grace  comes  to  us  through  the 
Sacraments.  Indeed  the  Sacraments  now  be- 
come necessary,  in  a  sense,  to  the  minds  of  the 
children.  For  they  would  know  how  God's  grace 
comes  into  our  souls.  Our  Lord  gave  us  the 
Sacraments  to  bring  His  grace  to  our  souls.  How 
simple  it  is  when  approached  from  this  angle. 
There  can  be  no  question  about  the  divine  origin  of 
the  Sacraments ;  it  is  quite  to  be  expected  that 
God    should    establish    means    for    bringing    His 


218  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

grace  into  our  soul.  Now  the  children  will  b« 
prepared  to  consider  the  Sacraments.  They  can 
now  view  them  from  a  practical  standpoint. 

Thus  we  see  the  simplicity  of  the  teaching  on 
divine  grace ;  even  little  children  can  readily 
grasp  its  meaning;  they  conceive  it  as  a  life; 
this  is  practical  knowledge  for  them.  Life  means 
action  —  practice,  service  in  religion.  Every  act 
of  virtue  and  religion  that  we  perform  is  the  result 
of  God's  grace.  This  teaching  makes  manifest 
the  need  of  divine  grace  in  our  lives.  When  the 
struggle  comes  we  must  turn  to  the  consolation  of 
those  words:  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee" 
(2  Cor.  12,  9). 


CHAPTER  XXI 
The  Sacraments.     I 

Divine  grace  has  been  presented  to  the  children 
as  a  new  Hfe  for  the  soul.  This  life  is  generated 
and  nourished  by  the  Sacraments.  We  would 
now  lead  the  children  to  reflect  upon  the  sacra- 
mental life  of  the  Church.  We  would  have  them 
understand  the  place  of  the  Sacraments  in  the 
divine  plan  of  Redemption. 

There  is  much  prejudice  in  the  world  to-day 
against  the  "sacramental  system."  This  preju- 
dice is  due  largely  perhaps  to  a  misconception 
of  the  Sacraments.  Men  are  indeed  familiar 
with  instrumental  causes  in  all  other  spheres  of 
life ;  they  accept  their  existence  and  their  utility 
without  hesitation.  The  senses  are  instrumental 
causes  of  thought;  steam  is  an  instrumental 
cause  of  locomotion. 

In  His  work  of  mercy  and  salvation,  God  has 
also  given  us  instrumental  causes ;  such  are  the 
Sacraments.  They  are  the  instrumental  causes 
which  God  has  instituted  to  give  grace  to  our 
soul.      God    Himself    produces    the    grace,    the 

219 


220  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

internal  effect;  He  is  the  principal  cause;  the 
Sacraments  are  His  instruments.  This  mode  of 
action  accords  with  the  principle  of  secondary 
causes  which  we  see  manifested  generally  in  the 
created  world.  In  the  natural  order  God  has 
given  to  all  living  creatures  the  faculty  to  repro- 
duce their  kind.  In  this  they  are  always  secondary 
causes  ;   God  is  the  prime  cause. 

In  the  order  of  grace,  the  supernatural  life  of 
man,  God  works  in  the  same  manner.  He  estab- 
lishes secondary  causes  to  propagate  the  life  of 
grace  in  the  world.  These  are  the  Sacraments 
and  the  ministry  of  the  priesthood  —  the  Church 
and  the  Sacraments.  When  we  conceive  divine 
grace  as  the  supernatural  life  of  the  soul,  the  mean- 
ing and  purpose  of  the  Sacraments  become  mani- 
fest; for  there  is  a  striking  analogy  between 
natural  life  and  the  life  of  grace. 

In  the  natural  order  that  highly  spiritual  entity 
called  life  is  propagated  and  nurtured  by  the  con- 
currence of  material  things.  In  the  same  manner 
God  has  established  the  material  elements  of  the 
Sacraments,  such  as  water,  oil,  bread,  and  wine. 
The  application  of  these  material  things  is  called 
the  sign  of  the  Sacrament.  It  is  true  that  in  cer- 
tain Sacraments  the  sign  is  not  a  tangible  object ; 
it  is,  however,  always  a  perceptible  thing.     In  the 


THE  SACRAMENTS.    I  221 

Sacrament  of  Penance  it  is  confession ;  in  Matri- 
mony it  is  the  expressed  contract ;  in  Holy  Orders 
it  is  the  transmission  of  the  instruments.  Added 
to  this  material  or  perceptible  element  in  the 
Sacraments  is  the  form.  In  Baptism  it  is:  *'I 
baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  In  Penance 
it  is :  "I  forgive  thee  thy  sins  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'* 
This  form  expresses  the  intention  of  the  priest  and 
makes  the  accompanying  action  a  sacramental 
action.  By  divine  ordinance,  it  takes  the  act 
out  of  the  pure  natural  sphere  and  elevates  it  to 
the  supernatural ;   it  then  becomes  a  Sacrament. 

In  the  natural  order,  life  must  first  be  generated ; 
then  it  is  strengthened,  nourished,  healed  of  its 
ills,  prepared  for  its  mission,  fitted  for  self-propa- 
gation, endowed  for  its  destiny.  It  is  thus  with 
the  life  of  grace  in  our  soul.  In  Baptism  we  are 
regenerated,  receiving  this  new  life,  this  partici- 
pation in  God's  own  nature ;  in  Confirmation 
this  life  is  strengthened ;  in  the  Holy  Eucharist 
it  is  nourished ;  in  Penance  its  ills  are  healed ;  in 
Matrimony  and  Holy  Orders  its  perpetuity  is 
assured ;  in  Extreme  Unction  it  is  prepared  to 
achieve  its  destiny. 

The  life  of  a  true  Christian  is,  therefore,  a  sacra- 


THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

mental  life.  When  he  prays  it  is  to  prepare  his 
soul  for  the  fruit  of  the  Sacraments.  Good  works 
—  virtue,  love,  devotion  —  all  dispose  the  soul 
to  profit  by  the  spiritual  nurture  of  the  Sacraments. 
They  form  the  healthy  condition  of  the  soul  and 
make  it  susceptible  to  the  working  of  divine 
grace  flowing  through  the  Sacraments. 

All  this  outlines  the  true  concept  of  the  Sacra- 
ments. Viewed  in  this  light  the  Sacraments 
should  hold  their  true  position  in  the  lives  of  our 
people.  Such  is  the  sacramental  teaching  to  be 
engendered  in  the  minds  of  the  children.  They 
must  first  realize  the  meaning  of  divine  grace ; 
then  they  must  look  upon  the  Sacraments  as  the 
divinely  appointed  means  of  producing  and  nour- 
ishing the  life  of  grace  in  their  soul. 

Our  approach  to  this  teaching  must  be,  as 
always,  from  the  life  of  the  children.  It  must 
be  made  gradually  by  a  patient  progression  of 
thought.  First  we  take  them  back  in  thought 
to  babyhood.  They  can  easily  understand  that 
they  first  received  God's  grace  in  Baptism ;  then 
it  was  they  became  children  of  God ;  they  were 
born  again ;  they  became  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Then  they  received  a  new  life  for  their 
soul  so  that  they  could  go  to  heaven.  They 
have  already   considered    original   sin.      Baptism 


THE  SACRAMENTS.     I  223 

takes  this  sin  from  their  soul.  Baptism  made 
their  soul  pure  and  holy  and  pleasing  to  God ; 
they  may  now  hope  to  attain  heaven.  Mean- 
while, their  minds  are  turned  to  that  occasion  when 
they  were  taken  to  the  church  to  be  baptized. 

They  must  ever  bear  in  mind  that  God  gave 
the  Sacraments  to  the  sole  care  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  It  was  the  priest  who  baptized  them ; 
their  godfather  and  godmother  carried  them  to 
the  Church.  It  was  our  Lord  who  sent  the  priest 
to  baptize  them.  The  priest  poured  water  on  their 
head,  saying:  "I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

The  details  of  that  event  are  interesting  to  the 
children.  Their  godparents  professed  faith  for 
them  and  made  promises  for  them.  They  are 
ready  now  to  learn  about  these  things  and  per- 
haps to  renew  them  in  their  hearts.  In  the  end, 
they  must  needs  feel  that  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism 
is  but  a  new  manifestation  of  divine  love  for  us. 
In  this  juncture,  they  learn  that  even  they  may 
baptize  in  case  of  necessity.  Thus  God  has 
bountifully  provided  for  His  children  so  that  all 
may  have  abundant  means  of  salvation. 

Confirmation  is  the  Sacrament  in  which  we 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost.  This  is  a  wondrous 
Sacrament    by    which    the    third    person    of    the 


224  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

Blessed  Trinity  comes  to  dwell  in  our  soul.  It 
makes  us  strong  in  faith,  makes  us  courageous 
and  fearless,  and  fits  us  for  the  struggle  of  a  good 
and  virtuous  life.  In  the  spiritual  order  it  is 
the  passing  from  childhood  to  manhood. 

We  have  also  a  historical  approach  to  this 
teaching.  The  children  already  know  the  events 
of  that  first  Pentecost;  for  they  have  seen  the 
Apostles  locked  in  that  upper  room  praying  for 
nine  days  and  yet  trembling  with  fear.  Their 
thoughts  have  dwelt  upon  the  happenings  of  the 
tenth  day  when  the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  the 
Apostles,  and  they  saw  them  cast  off  their  fears  and 
go  forth  boldly  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
In  the  Sacrament  of  Confirmation  this  same 
Holy  Spirit  comes  to  them.  He  comes  to  dwell 
in  their  soul,  to  make  them  strong  and  fearless ; 
He  comes  to  give  them  strength  to  live  a  good 
and  virtuous  life ;  He  comes  to  make  them  holy. 

Now  their  thoughts  are  directed  to  the  considera- 
tion of  all  that  the  Holy  Ghost  does  for  us.  He  is 
truly  a  God  with  them.  Now  they  will  be  able 
to  meet  the  trials  and  temptations  of  life.  Now 
they  will  have  strength  and  courage  to  serve 
God  and  profess  His  holy  name  in  all  situations. 
They  will  know  how  to  withstand  the  scoffs  and 
bitterness  of  those  who  ridicule  their  faith.     They 


THE  SACRAMENTS.    I 

will  be  prepared  to  suffer  persecution  for  the  love 
of  God.  All  this  will  be  the  fruits  of  this  great 
Sacrament. 

The  bishop  administers  the  Sacrament  of  Con- 
firmation. The  Apostles  were  the  first  bishops 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  vivid  imagination 
of  the  children  will  readily  picture  the  Apostles 
giving  Confirmation  to  the  faithful  of  their  day. 
Thus  it  becomes  concrete  for  them ;  St.  Peter, 
St.  Andrew,  St.  James,  St.  John,  and  the  rest  are 
going  about  administering  the  Sacrament  of  Con- 
firmation ;  it  is  all  realistic  for  them.  When  the 
bishop  gives  Confirmation  he  anoints  the  fore- 
head with  holy  oil.  This  is  a  sign  of  strength, 
a  sign  of  the  grace  conferred.  At  the  same  time 
he  says  :  "I  sign  thee  with  the  sign  of  the  cross  and 
I  confirm  thee  with  the  chrism  of  salvation,  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost." 

Thus  they  are  led  through  all  the  details  of  the 
teaching.  It  is  all  so  clear  and  simple ;  it  is  filled 
with  interest  for  them ;   it  touches  their  lives. 

The  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  Sacrament  of  God's 
love.  In  this  Sacrament  Christ  gives  us  His  own 
body  and  blood  to  be  the  nurture  of  our  soul. 
Here  we  are  united  body  and  soul  with  the  sacred 
humanity   and   divinity  of   our   blessed   Saviour. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

It  is  the  Sacrament  which  feeds  and  nourishes 
the  Hf e  of  divine  grace  in  our  soul ;  it  is  the 
tenderest  expression  of  God's  love  for  man.  It  is 
the  Sacrament  of  which  our  divine  Saviour  said : 
"Unless  you  eat  my  flesh  and  drink  my  blood 
you  cannot  have  life  in  you"  (St.  John  6).  The 
Holy  Eucharist,  then,  is  the  Sacrament  of  life  — 
the  life  of  God's  grace  in  our  soul.  In  the  divine 
plan  of  salvation,  it  is  the  means  of  keeping  alive 
the  life  of  grace  in  which  we  are  born  by  Bap- 
tism and  in  which  we  were  strengthened  by 
Confirmation. 

We  approach  this  holy  subject  through  its 
analogy  to  natural  life.  As  we  must  eat  material 
food  and  drink  material  liquid  to  sustain  the  life 
of  the  body,  so  must  we  partake  of  this  divine 
nurture  to  sustain  the  supernatural  life  of  the  soul. 
The  children  will  follow  this  line  of  thought ;  the 
food  and  drink  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  are  our 
Lord's  body  and  blood.  By  the  power  of  God 
bread  and  wine  are  changed  into  our  Lord's  own 
body  and  blood.  It  is  a  wondrous  truth,  yet 
simple. 

But  whence  comes  this  great  gift,  the  little  ones 
might  ask?  Yes,  Christ  was  the  first  ever  to 
change  bread  and  wine  into  His  body  and  blood, 
Christ  the  second  person  of  the  Blessed  Trinity, 


THE   SACRAMENTS.     I  227 

God  the  Son,  omnipotent,  eternal.  This  took 
place  in  Jerusalem  at  the  Last  Supper,  the  night 
before  He  died.  Every  detail  of  this  great  event 
is  filled  with  interest.  Seated  at  table  with  His 
Apostles,  Christ  took  bread  into  His  hands,  blessed 
it  and  said  :  "This  is  my  body."  Then  taking  the 
wine,  He  said :  "This  is  my  blood."  It  was  God 
the  Son  who  did  all  this ;  by  His  omnipotence 
He  changed  bread  and  wine  into  His  own  body 
and  blood.  How  strange,  perhaps,  to  little  minds  ! 
For  they  have  seen  the  Blessed  Sacrament ;  it 
still  looks  like  a  piece  of  bread ;  it  undoubtedly 
tastes  like  bread. 

Christ,  when  He  performed  that  wondrous  act, 
did  not  change  the  taste  and  the  looks  and  the 
shape ;  now  in  the  Holy  Eucharist  His  body  and 
blood  look  like  bread  and  wine,  taste  like  bread  and 
wine.  He  knew  how  to  do  this  because  He  is 
God,  the  Almighty ;  it  is  enough  for  us  to  know 
that  He  told  us.  Our  eyes  and  our  tongue  do 
not  perceive  the  change ;  but  our  mind  and  our 
heart  know  it  from  the  lips  of  our  divine  Saviour 
Himself.  He  sent  the  Catholic  Church  to  bring 
this  message  of  love  to  us.  He  entrusted  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  to  the  Catholic 
Church  so  that  we  might  all  nourish  our  souls  upon 
His  body  and  blood. 


228  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

After  Christ  had  changed  bread  and  wine  into 
His  body  and  blood,  He  gave  His  Apostles  the 
power  to  do  the  same.  He  commanded  them  to 
change  bread  and  wine  into  His  body  and  blood. 
Now  we  see  the  Apostles,  by  the  power  of  God, 
changing  bread  and  wine  into  our  Lord's  body  and 
blood.  Then  follow  the  priests  of  the  Church 
throughout  the  centuries ;  they  have  received  the 
same  power ;  they  change  bread  and  wine  into  our 
Lord's  body  and  blood ;  it  is  thus  it  comes  to  us. 
By  this  simple  progression  of  thought  we  arrive 
naturally  at  the  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  It  is  here 
this  miracle  of  love  takes  place.  The  children 
have  seen  the  priest,  clad  in  the  sacred  vestments, 
at  the  altar  saying  Mass.  What  does  that  mean  ? 
He  is  doing  what  Christ  did  at  the  Last  Supper ; 
he  is  doing  what  the  Apostles  did  after  that;  he 
is  changing  bread  and  wine  into  our  Lord's  body 
and  blood. 

But  the  Mass  is  a  sacrifice ;  as  such  it  should  be 
conceived.  Here  we  lead  the  little  ones  back  to 
Calvary.  There  in  thought  they  see  again  Christ 
offering  Himself  for  our  salvation  on  the  cross; 
the  Mass  is  that  selfsame  sacrifice.  Here,  on  the 
altar,  Christ  is  offering  Himself  again ;  He  is  offer- 
ing Himself  to  God  the  Father.  To  be  present  at 
Mass  is  like  kneeling  beside  the  cross  on  Mount 


THE   SACRAMENTS.     I  229 

Calvary.  On  the  cross  our  Lord  offered  Himself 
in  the  form  of  man ;  here  He  offers  Himself  under 
the  form  of  bread  and  wine.  Now  He  offers 
Himself  up  at  all  times  in  all  parts  of  the  world ; 
then  His  lifeless  body  was  taken  down  from  the 
cross  and  placed  into  the  arms  of  His  blessed 
Mother.  Now  His  living  body  and  blood  will 
come  to  us  from  the  altar  to  enter  into  our  very 
breast. 

Surely,  then,  it  is  easy  to  understand  our  obli- 
gation to  hear  Mass  on  Sundays  and  Holy  Days. 
We  can  understand  why  so  many  devout  souls  love 
to  hear  Mass  daily.  Then,  too,  we  realize  the 
attraction  which  the  Catholic  Church  holds  for 
pious  souls.  There  upon  the  altar  dwells  our 
Eucharistic  God.  Our  living  God  is  there  day  and 
night  in  the  tabernacle,  really  and  truly  present 
under  the  simple  form  of  bread.  Our  Lord  lives 
there  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  out  of  love  for  us. 
We  love  and  adore  Christ  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
because  He  is  truly  God  with  us.  Thus  we  inter- 
weave practice  with  truth ;  we  apply  the  doctrine 
of  the  Holy  Eucharist  to  the  lives  of  the  little  ones. 

In  detail  we  treat  the  subject  of  Holy  Com- 
munion, and  always  with  reference  to  the  lives  of 
the  children.  They  must  here  realize  the  full 
meaning  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  to  their  own  little 


230  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

lives.  God,  the  omnipotent  Creator,  deigns  to 
come  into  each  Httle  breast.  God  comes  down 
out  of  love  to  dwell  among  His  children  under 
these  humble  forms.  When  all  this  is  impressed 
upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  children,  they 
will  be  ready  to  consider  the  dispositions  with 
which  they  should  receive  Him.  Little  by  little, 
they  learn  to  grasp  the  true  meaning  of  this  sacred 
banquet.  Motives  are  engendered  in  them ;  they 
are  impelled  by  the  force  of  their  own  love  for  God 
to  frequent  the  holy  table.  It  is  thus  their  heart 
is  trained  in  the  love  of  our  Eucharistic  God.  Im- 
pelled by  their  own  motives  they  will  love  Him ; 
they  will  feed  their  souls  upon  Christ's  body  and 
blood. 

The  presentation  is  simple  because  it  Is  so 
filled  with  life.  The  Holy  Eucharist,  as  the  Sacra- 
ment of  love  and  of  life,  appeals  readily  to  the 
innocent  heart  of  children.  With  them  there  is 
no  place  for  rationalization  and  proof  of  doctrine. 
They  sense  the  workings  of  divine  love ;  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Holy  Eucharist  is  eminently  in  keeping 
with  their  knovdedge  of  divine  love.  This  is  as 
it  should  be ;  our  heavenly  Father,  who  is  God 
Almighty,  might  well  be  expected  to  perform  such 
a  miracle  of  love.  It  is  indeed  wonderful  what 
He  has  done  for  us  in  the  natural  order;    but 


THE  SACRAMENTS.    I  231 

the  supernatural  order  is  far  above  the  natural. 
We  are  not  surprised,  then,  that  He  has  wrought 
these  wonders  of  love.  Such  is  the  philosophy 
of  the  child  mind.  It  is  the  philosophy  of  sincerity 
and  simplicity  which  must  have  prompted  Christ 
to  say:  "Unless  you  be  converted  and  become 
as  little  children,  you  shall  not  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven"  (St.  Matt.  18,  3). 


CHAPTER  XXII 

The  Sacraments.  II  —  Judgment 

The  Sacrament  of  Penance  is  medicinal  in 
character ;  it  heals  souls  diseased  by  sin ;  it 
restores  life  even  in  those  who  have  been  separated 
from  the  Source  of  life  by  mortal  sin.  The  Sacra- 
ment of  Penance  is  the  Sacrament  of  God's  mercy ; 
it  is  the  greatest  solace  that  God  has  given  to 
sinful  mankind.  In  this  holy  Sacrament  God  has 
established  a  tribunal  of  mercy  in  which  the  sinner 
may  again  be  reconciled  to  his  heavenly  Father. 
It  is  the  Sacrament  of  hope  to  those  who  have 
lost  God's  grace  after  Baptism. 

The  mercy  of  God  is  infinite,  embracing  even 
the  most  wicked  of  sinners.  *'Wash  yourselves, 
be  clean,  take  away  the  evil  of  your  devices  from 
my  eyes ;  cease  to  do  perversely  ...  if  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  made  as  white  as 
snow  :  and  if  they  be  red  as  crimson,  they  shall  be 
white  as  wool "  (Isaias  1, 16-18).  In  the  Sacrament 
of  Penance  God  has  made  mortal  man  the  dis- 
penser of  His  mercy.  The  priest  is  empowered 
to  forgive  sins  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 

232 


THE   SACRAMENTS.    II  — JUDGMENT        233 

the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  is  a  member 
of  a  sinful  race  who  will  have  compassion  on  his 
fellow  man.  "For  every  high  priest  taken  from 
among  men  is  ordained  for  men  in  the  things  that 
pertain  to  God,  that  he  may  offer  up  gifts  and 
sacrifices  for  sins :  Who  can  have  compassion  on 
them  that  are  ignorant  and  that  err :  because  he 
himself  also  is  compassed  with  infirmity"  (Hebrews 
5,  1-2). 

To  obtain  God's  mercy  and  to  regain  his  lost, 
eternal  inheritance  the  sinner  need  but  dispose 
his  soul  to  receive  it.  If  he  will  repent  and  turn 
away  from  his  sin,  God,  through  this  holy  Sacra- 
ment, will  take  him  back  to  His  bosom ;  He  will 
be  the  loving  Father  to  the  prodigal  son.  The 
sole  sign  of  repentance  is  sincere  confession  of 
sins  to  God's  minister. 

It  is  thus  in  the  light  of  God's  mercy  and  love 
that  the  Sacrament  of  Penance  should  be  presented 
to  the  children.  God  in  His  love  established  the 
Sacrament  of  Baptism  as  a  regeneration  in  the 
life  of  divine  grace ;  but  sin  may  rob  the  soul 
of  this  new  life.  Mortal  sin  takes  away  God's 
grace  from  the  soul,  and  fallen  man  is  weak  and 
prone  to  evil.  But  God  takes  pity  on  the  weakness 
of  man ;  in  His  love  He  gives  him  a  Sacrament 
to  take  away  sin  from  his  soul  and  restore  the 


234  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

life  of  grace.  It  is  a  divine  work ;  our  blessed 
Lord  Himself  took  away  sins  while  He  was  on 
earth.  It  is  in  keeping  with  the  paternal  love  of 
God  who  is  ever  eager  to  save  His  children. 

Now  we  lead  the  little  ones  back  in  imagina- 
tion to  see  the  Apostles  dispensing  God's  mercy 
in  the  Sacrament  of  Penance.  Our  Lord  Himself 
gave  them  the  power  to  take  away  sins.  The 
people  came  to  them,  confessing  their  sin,  and 
they  forgave  them ;  they  were  the  first  priests 
of  the  Church.  Thus  the  children  are  introduced 
to  the  ministry  of  the  priest.  The  power  that 
was  given  to  the  Apostles  still  exists  in  the  Church 
to-day ;  the  priest  forgives  sins.  It  is  a  power 
similar  to  that  by  which  he  baptizes ;  even  the 
forms  are  strikingly  similar.  There  he  says : 
*'I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Here  he  says : 
*'I  forgive  thee  thy  sins  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

It  is  thus  the  children,  by  concrete  examples, 
learn  to  understand  the  divine  ministry  of  the 
priesthood.  For  they  see  both  the  Apostles  and 
the  priests  of  to-day  acting  in  the  name  of  God, 
using  God's  power  to  save  our  souls ;  they  are 
truly  ministers  of  God. 

Then   we  inculcate  the  idea  of  confession   to 


THE  SACRAMENTS.     II  — JUDGMENT        235 

the  children.  They  have  learned  that  the  priest 
forgives  sins  in  the  name  of  God ;  he  is  constituted 
judge  in  this  tribunal.  But  who  is  the  accuser.'^ 
The  sinner  is  the  accuser ;  he  makes  known  his 
sins  to  the  priest ;  thus  the  priest  knows  what 
sins  he  is  to  forgive.  This  is  the  meaning  of  con- 
fession. But  confession  must  have  certain  quali- 
ties ;  we  must  tell  all  our  sins ;  we  must  tell  the 
number  and  the  character  of  our  sins.  This 
must  be  brought  to  the  understanding  of  the 
children  by  concrete  cases.  In  these  cases  we 
are  careful  not  to  refer  the  sins  to  the  children. 
What  would  anybody  say  if  he  missed  Mass  on 
two  Sundays.^  What  would  anybody  say  if  he 
swore  once  a  day  for  five  days.^^  It  is  thus  the 
idea  of  confession  can  be  engendered  in  the  minds 
of  the  children. 

The  children  have  already  learned  what  is 
sinful.  This  they  have  learned  from  their  study 
of  the  Commandments  and  of  sin.  Now  it  is 
necessary  only  for  them  to  learn  the  manner  of 
confessing  their  sins,  learn  the  method,  as  it  were. 
This  will  make  unnecessary  those  undesirable 
tables  of  sin  that  have  so  long  harassed  the  hearts 
of  little  ones.  In  preparing  the  little  ones  for  con- 
fession, we  should  familiarize  them  with  even  the 
smallest  details  of  the  procedure.     To  kneel,  to 


236  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

bless  themselves,  to  speak  through  the  grille,  to 
know  the  structure  of  the  confessional,  the  little 
step  on  which  to  kneel,  the  slide  that  the  priest 
will  open,  to  say:  "Bless  me,  father,  for  I  have 
sinned."  All  these  are  of  great  importance  to 
the  little  one  who  enters  with  palpitating  heart, 
for  the  first  time,  into  the  confessional.  Nothing 
can  be  taken  for  granted  in  this  preparation.  To 
listen  to  the  priest,  to  remember  the  penance  he 
gives,  to  know  when  to  begin  the  Act  of  Contri- 
tion, to  know  when  to  leave  the  confessional  might 
be  presumed  in  adults ;  but  they  must  be  clearly 
impressed  upon  the  minds  of  the  children. 

In  the  first  course  the  remedial  idea  of  Penance 
is  but  slightly  touched  upon.  While  it  is  a  strik- 
ing presentation  of  this  Sacrament,  the  idea  is 
more  abstract  than  the  direct  teaching  itself. 
Wherefore  this  idea  is  reserved  largely  for  the 
succeeding  courses.  Then  the  children  will  be 
able  better  to  comprehend  the  remedial  character 
of  the  Sacrament.  For  the  present  they  con- 
ceive the  fundamental  idea  of  the  Sacrament; 
to  wit,  to  restore  the  life  of  grace  to  the  soul  in 
mortal  sin.  They  arrive  at  this  great  truth,  not 
by  rationalizing,  but  by  a  direct  progression  of 
thought  on  God's  love  and  mercy.  To  those  who 
know  the  quality  of  God's  love  and  His  divine 


THE  SACRAMENTS.    II  — JUDGMENT        237 

plan  of  salvation,  the  Sacrament  of  Penance 
follows  logically  after  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism. 
This  is  the  thought  progression  through  which 
we  lead  the  children. 

The  Sacrament  of  Extreme  Unction  is  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  dying ;  it  was  instituted  to  prepare 
us  for  our  final  journey  to  our  eternal  home ;  it 
is  but  another  expression  of  divine  love  for  us. 
Our  approach  to  this  teaching  is  made  through  the 
experience  of  the  children.  They  have  perhaps 
seen  the  sick  and  the  dying.  At  least  they  have 
heard  of  them.  Knowing  as  they  do  all  that  God 
has  done  for  us,  they  are  not  surprised  to  learn 
that  God  has  established  a  Sacrament  for  the 
sick  and  the  dying. 

Then  it  is  easy  to  lead  them  through  the  whole 
process  of  calling  the  priest,  preparing  for  his  com- 
ing, receiving  him  when  he  arrives  with  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  kneeling  by  as  he  anoints  the 
dying  person.  All  these  details  make  our  teaching 
concrete  and  interesting  to  them.  The  children 
follow  in  thought  every  action  of  the  priest.  Thus 
when  they  meet  the  reality,  it  will  bear  its  full 
meaning  to  them.  When,  later,  they  see  the  priest 
putting  the  sacred  oils  upon  the  eyes,  ears,  nostrils, 
lips,  hands,  and  feet  of  the  sick  person,  the  action 
will  not  seem  strange  to  them.     On  the  contrary, 


238  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

they  will  understand  what  it  all  means  and  their 
hearts  will  be  touched  with  its  meaning. 

In  the  same  manner  they  learn  to  prepare  for  the 
coming  of  the  priest,  to  prepare  the  white-covered 
table,  the  crucifix,  the  candle,  water,  teaspoon; 
all.  It  is  easy  for  them  to  learn  these  little  details. 
Why  should  they  not  know  them?  Then,  too, 
they  learn  the  reason  for  kneeling  when  the  priest 
enters  the  house;  they  are  adoring  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  which  he  is  carrying.  They  learn 
that  the  priest  hears  the  sick  person's  confession ; 
then  gives  him  Holy  Communion.  The  priest 
gives  the  sick  person  three  Sacraments  ;  these  are 
called  the  last  Sacraments.  In  this  case.  Holy 
Communion  is  called  Holy  Viaticum.  How  simple 
it  all  is  when  we  follow  the  natural  sequence  of 
thought. 

Holy  Orders  is  the  Sacrament  which  makes  men 
priests.  The  priesthood  is  a  great  institution. 
Priests  are  appointed  by  God  to  care  for  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  His  children,  to  lead  them, 
in  His  name,  to  salvation.  The  subject  of  the 
priesthood  is  already  familiar  to  the  children. 
In  almost  every  lesson  the  priest  has  been  men- 
tioned. This  is  quite  natural  since  the  priest  is 
the  minister,  the  active  agent  of  that  Church  which 
God  sent  to  convey  His  grace  and  truth  to  us. 


THE  SACRAMENTS.    II  — JUDGMENT       239 

Now  we  would  lead  the  little  ones  to  consider 
the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Orders.  To  do  this  we 
go  back  to  find  Christ  again  with  His  Apostles, 
the  first  priests.  Christ  ordained  them,  made 
them  priests ;  He  gave  them  the  Sacrament  of 
Holy  Orders.  By  this  same  Sacrament  men  be- 
come priests  to-day.  Then  they  consider  the  work 
of  the  priest.  He  administers  the  Sacraments ; 
he  says  Mass ;  he  teaches  us  to  do  good ;  he 
teaches  us  about  God.  All  this  those  first  priests, 
the  Apostles,  did.  In  a  word,  the  priest  is  our 
spiritual  father. 

The  Sacrament  of  Matrimony  is  the  Sacrament  by 
which  people  marry ;  it  is  the  foundation  of  the 
Christian  home ;  it  is  the  institution  by  which 
God  provides  for  the  propagation  of  the  human 
race.  It  is  well  for  the  little  ones  early  to  learn 
the  true  object  of  Matrimony.  In  their  minds  it 
should  be  associated  with  their  father  and  mother. 
This  will  give  it  a  tender  and  a  reverential  place 
in  their  lives.  It  was  the  Sacrament  of  Matri- 
mony that  gave  their  father  and  mother  grace  to 
love  each  other,  to  care  for  them,  their  children. 
Thus  this  Sacrament  touches  their  lives. 

In  the  development  of  our  courses  this  teaching 
will  be  enlarged.  The  children  will  learn  to  con- 
sider the  ideal  home  built  upon  this  great  Sacra- 


240  THE  TEACHING  OF  RELIGION 

ment.  Now  they  can  learn  that  this  Sacrament, 
like  the  other  six,  is  given  to  the  care  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  Catholics  must  be  married  before  the 
priest.  They  receive  Holy  Communion  and 
hear  Mass  when  they  are  married.  This  will 
help  them  realize  that  marriage  is  a  holy  state, 
an  idea  that  should  grow  up  with  them  and  remain 
with  them  until  death. 

Judgment  is  reserved  for  the  end  of  our  course ; 
it  is  treated  here  as  a  summing  up  of  all  our  teach- 
ing. All  that  has  gone  before  bears  directly  upon 
this.  The  Day  of  Judgment  is  the  day  of  final 
reckoning,  the  day  on  which  our  fate  will  be  sealed 
for  eternity.  We  will  be  judged  when  we  die. 
Happy,  then,  will  be  those  who  have  been  faithful 
all  their  life.  Then  all  their  actions  will  be 
judged.  God  sees  all  that  we  do  every  moment  of 
our  lives ;  then  He  will  pass  upon  all  this.  If 
we  have  done  well,  if  we  have  been  true  to  Him, 
our  Lord  on  that  day  will  take  us  to  our  eternal 
home  in  heaven.  But  it  will  be  a  time  of  misery 
and  woe  for  the  wicked.  Then  they  will  be  filled 
with  remorse ;  then  will  begin  their  eternal  separa- 
tion from  God ;  then  they  shall  enter  into  the 
company  of  the  devils  and  descend  into  the  pains 
of  hell.  All  this  is  clear  and  vivid  enough  for  the 
child  mind. 


THE  SACRAMENTS.     II  — JUDGMENT       241 

On  the  last  day  will  take  place  the  resurrection. 
This  idea  has  been  repeatedly  presented  to  them. 
Now  it  is  described  more  minutely.  They  now 
consider  the  concrete  joys  of  that  glorious  consum- 
mation. To  think  that  we  will  have  again  this 
very  body  of  ours !  It  will  be  strong,  young, 
beautiful,  healthy  —  a  glorified  body.  There  is 
no  thought  in  religion  that  so  appeals  to  us,  per- 
haps, as  this  doctrine  of  the  resurrection.  The 
children  follow  it  eagerly. 

Thus,  too,  they  picture  the  Last  Judgment  with 
their  vivid  imagination.  There  they  see  all  the 
people  that  have  ever  lived,  gathered  together. 
Christ  appears  in  His  glory.  The  just  are  on 
one  side,  the  wicked  on  the  other.  They  hear 
those  awful  words  uttered  to  the  wicked ;  they 
hear  those  sweet  words  spoken  to  the  just :  "  Come, 
ye  blessed ;  possess  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world "  (St. 
Matt.  25,  34).  They  are  there  with  their 
hearts ;  they  are  among  the  just ;  they  go  with 
Christ  to  heaven.  They  consider  the  joys  of 
heaven ;  they  will  be  transported  with  joy  at 
these  reflections.  Nothing  pleases  them  more 
than  to  discuss  the  wondrous  happiness  of  eternity 
with  them. 


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